CVE-2026-72048

What the bug is

ca8210_spi_transfer() allocates cas_ctl with kzalloc_obj(GFP_ATOMIC) and relies entirely on the SPI completion callback ca8210_spi_transfer_complete() to free it. The spi_async() API only invokes the completion callback on successful submission. On failure it returns a negative error code without ever queuing the callback, which leaves cas_ctl and its embedded spi_message and spi_transfer orphaned. Every kfree(cas_ctl) in the driver is inside the completion callback, so there is no other reclamation path. ca8210_spi_transfer() is called from ca8210_spi_exchange(), the interrupt handler ca8210_interrupt_handler(), and from the retry path inside the completion callback itself. The exchange and interrupt handler paths loop on -EBUSY, so under sustained SPI bus contention every retry iteration leaks a fresh cas_ctl (~600 bytes per occurrence). Fix it by freeing cas_ctl on the spi_async() error path. While here, correct the misleading error string: the function calls spi_async(), not spi_sync().

Where it lives

The fix touches these files. If the subsystem is one you do not use, the practical exposure is lower, though the package is still the vulnerable one.

drivers/net/ieee802154/ca8210.c

What this is

CA8210 IEEE-802.15.4 RADIO DRIVERMAINTAINERS section matched on drivers/net/ieee802154/ca8210.c · linux-wpan@vger.kernel.org · Orphan

Kernel module

none to look for. The file would have gone into ca8210, and Debian does not compile it into that module, so finding ca8210 in lsmod would say nothing about this CVE.

Check it on the machine

grep -wE 'CONFIG_IEEE802154|CONFIG_IEEE802154_CA8210' /boot/config-$(uname -r)

Reads the booted kernel's own configuration, on the machine and nowhere else. =y is built in, =m is a module, and an is not set line means the code is not there.

Show whether Debian builds this, per release

Debian does not build this code. In 4 releases below, every kernel flavour Debian publishes has the switch off, so the vulnerable file is compiled into no kernel binary Debian ships.

• bookworm, trixie, forky, sidn

n

not enabled on any flavour - this release does not build the code

Build switches

CONFIG_IEEE802154, CONFIG_IEEE802154_CA8210

Reads as

all on means the file is compiled; any one off means it is not.

From the configuration Debian publishes for every kernel flavour it builds. It covers only the architectures Debian ships a linux-config package for, and nothing about a kernel you built yourself. Debian's own status above stays authoritative about the source package.MAINTAINERS kbuild Makefiles Debian linux-config packages

Signals

Published

2026-08-15 (2 months ago)source

CVSS

no vector published, unrated

Attack vector

not published

EPSS

0.22%, higher than 11.6% of all CVEssource

CISA KEV

not listedthe KEV catalogue

Debian urgency

not yet assignedsource

Subsystem

drivers/net

Upstream fixes

The versions the CNA records as introducing and fixing this, and the commit for each. source

Introduced	Fixed in	Commit
4.12	5.10.261	460c5cd51e4d
4.12	5.15.212	b07aea90dbc6
4.12	6.1.178	fe90605b6515
4.12	6.6.145	b9071dc7889b
4.12	6.12.97	d4a397fe803c
4.12	6.18.40	cb5cca1d2a90
4.12	7.1.5	7e3630fbb6aa
4.12	7.2	e09390e439bd