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CVE-2026-90207
ALSA: seq: midi: Serialize input teardown with event_input
Published 2026-09-17 (31 days ago) by the Linux kernel CNA. Subsystem sound/core. Debian urgency: not yet assigned.
What to do, per Debian release
Debian's own status for CVE-2026-90207 in every release this site tracks, and what each one means in practice. Every status below is the one the Debian Security Team publishes for this CVE. source
| Release | Status | Version | What this means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 12bookworm | fixedDLA-4841-1 · 2026-10-17 · text | 6.1.190-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. DLA-4841-1 shipped the fix on 2026-10-17, in 6.1.190-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
| Debian 13trixie | fixedDSA-6528-1 · 2026-09-29 · text | 6.12.111-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. DSA-6528-1 shipped the fix on 2026-09-29, in 6.12.111-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
| Debian 14forky | fixed | 7.2.6-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. Fixed in 7.2.6-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
| Debian unstablesid | fixed | 7.2.6-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. Fixed in 7.2.6-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
| Debian 12bookworm · linux-6.12 | fixedDLA-4817-1 · 2026-10-04 · text | 6.12.111-1~deb12u1 | Update the kernel and reboot. DLA-4817-1 shipped the fix on 2026-10-04, in 6.12.111-1~deb12u1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
The vulnerability
What the bug is
snd_midi_input_event() must not be running while a rawmidi substream is closing, since this can lead to the trigger state becoming out-of-step through this sequence in snd_rawmidi_input_trigger(): snd_rawmidi_input_trigger(up=0) snd_midi_input_event() -> snd_rawmidi_kernel_read() -> snd_rawmidi_input_trigger(up=1) -> cancel_work_sync() which ends with the underlying device being active unexpectedly. When this is called from close_substream(), further input can re-trigger the input event leaving it running after rawmidi_release_priv() has set rfile->rmidi to NULL which leads to: Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at virtual address 00000000000000b0 Call trace: snd_midi_input_event+0x3c/0x134 [snd_seq_midi] (P) snd_rawmidi_input_event_work+0x1c/0x2c process_one_work+0x150/0x3a4 worker_thread+0x190/0x318 Apply a similar approach to commit ef7607ab1c8ad ("ALSA: seq: midi: Serialize output teardown with event_input") which fixed the same issue in the output direction, but updated to use RCU following Takashi Iwai's proposed follow-on patch [1]. With this change in place, midisynth_unsubscribe() clears the input file so snd_midi_input_event() will not re-trigger the stream and will be quiesced by the cancel_work_sync() in snd_rawmidi_input_trigger(). [1] https://lore.kernel.org/linux-sound/20260813144224.753399-1-tiwai@suse.de/
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.
sound/core/seq/seq_midi.c
- What this is
- SOUNDMAINTAINERS section matched on sound/ · linux-sound@vger.kernel.org · Maintained
- Kernel module
- snd_seq_midi
Check it on the machine
grep -wE 'CONFIG_SND|CONFIG_SND_SEQUENCER|CONFIG_SND_SEQ_MIDI' /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.
lsmod | grep -w snd_seq_midiPrints a line if that module is loaded right now, and nothing if it is not. One that is not loaded can still be loaded later by anything that needs it.
Show whether Debian builds this, per release
Debian builds this, but not on every flavour. At least one release below builds the code on some of its kernel flavours and not on others, so the answer depends on the architecture and flavour installed.
- bookworm, trixie, forky, sid, bookworm · linux-6.12Mnot built on amd64/cloud-amd64, arm64/cloud-arm64
- M
- a module where it is built at all; some flavours do not build it
- Build switches
- CONFIG_SND, CONFIG_SND_SEQUENCER, CONFIG_SND_SEQ_MIDI
- 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
- 2026-09-17 (31 days ago)source
- CVSS
- 7.8 high
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:Hsource recompute it - Attack vector
- local (AV:L)source
- EPSS
- 0.16%, higher than 5.3% of all CVEssource
- CISA KEV
- not listedthe KEV catalogue
- Debian urgency
- not yet assignedsource
- Subsystem
- sound/core
Upstream fixes
The versions the CNA records as introducing and fixing this, and the commit for each. source
| Introduced | Fixed in | Commit |
|---|---|---|
| 2.6.12 | 6.1.188 | de76a2b47582 |
| 2.6.12 | 6.6.157 | 89d986897aff |
| 2.6.12 | 6.12.110 | 6290afaae54c |
| 2.6.12 | 6.18.52 | 210c193a9ef1 |
| 2.6.12 | 7.2.6 | 282a3ef9e4b6 |
| 2.6.12 | 7.3 | 403f7f3ad380 |
Debian advisories
| Advisory | Date | Shipped to | Debian |
|---|---|---|---|
| DLA-4841-1 | 2026-10-17 | bookworm 6.1.190-1 | tracker |
| DLA-4817-1 | 2026-10-04 | bookworm 6.12.111-1~deb12u1 | tracker |
| DSA-6528-1 | 2026-09-29 | trixie 6.12.111-1 | tracker |
Why the CNA scored it this way
Quoted from the kernel CNA's own scoring file, word for word. A highlighted metric carries the most severe value CVSS v3.1 defines for it, which is what pushes the score up. source
- AV:LAttack vector, local
- The race is reached from a local sequencer client: snd_seq_open() on /dev/snd/seq, SNDRV_SEQ_IOCTL_SUBSCRIBE_PORT (midisynth_subscribe) to open the rawmidi input, then SNDRV_SEQ_IOCTL_UNSUBSCRIBE_PORT or client close (midisynth_unsubscribe -> snd_rawmidi_kernel_release). Bytes that schedule snd_midi_input_event come from the bound rawmidi device, not a network or radio protocol.
- AC:LAttack complexity, low
- The attacker owns teardown (last unsubscribe/close) and starts input by subscribing: midisynth_subscribe sets runtime->event to snd_midi_input_event and snd_rawmidi_kernel_read() triggers the device. Concurrent snd_midi_input_event can re-call snd_rawmidi_input_trigger(up=1) during close_substream's trigger(up=0)/cancel_work_sync window. Repeating subscribe/unsubscribe on that live port makes the race retryable.
- PR:LPrivileges required, low
- snd_seq_open() has no capable() check. check_subscription_permission() allows any sequencer client to subscribe to seq_midi ports because they advertise SNDRV_SEQ_PORT_CAP_READ|SNDRV_SEQ_PORT_CAP_SUBS_READ. Typical DAC on /dev/snd/seq is audio-group/uaccess, so an unprivileged local user suffices; init-namespace root is not required.
- UI:NUser interaction, none
- The attacker opens their own /dev/snd/seq client, creates a destination port, issues SNDRV_SEQ_IOCTL_SUBSCRIBE_PORT to a seq_midi input port, and then unsubscribes or closes to run midisynth_unsubscribe. No other user must mount, click, or open a file.
- S:UScope, unchanged
- The UAF/NULL deref is in kernel rawmidi lifetime (close_substream/snd_rawmidi_runtime_free versus snd_rawmidi_input_event_work calling snd_midi_input_event). That is local kernel memory corruption in the same OS authority, not a VM, IOMMU, or sandbox escape.
- C:HConfidentiality impact, high
- After cancel_work_sync, a re-triggered device can schedule runtime->event_work; close_substream then kfree()s snd_rawmidi_runtime while the work later does container_of() and calls runtime->event. Use-after-free of that heap object enables arbitrary reads via heap reuse of the freed runtime.
- I:HIntegrity impact, high
- The freed snd_rawmidi_runtime embeds event_work and the runtime->event function pointer that snd_rawmidi_input_event_work invokes. Heap spraying that object lets an attacker hijack the callback for arbitrary kernel write or control-flow hijack, not merely a one-shot crash.
- A:HAvailability impact, high
- The reported crash is a NULL deref in snd_midi_input_event from snd_rawmidi_input_event_work after rawmidi_release_priv() nulls the file and close_substream frees runtime, which oopses the kernel and can be retried with subscribe/unsubscribe cycles.