CVE-2026-53402

Public on 2026-07-19
Modified on 2026-07-24
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

fbdev: fbcon: fix out-of-bounds read in err_out of fbcon_do_set_font()

When fbcon_do_set_font() fails (e.g., due to a memory allocation failure
inside vc_resize() under heavy memory pressure), it jumps to the `err_out`
label to roll back the console state. However, the current rollback logic
forgets to restore the `hi_font` state, leading to a severe state machine
corruption.

Earlier in the function, `set_vc_hi_font()` might be called to change
`vc->vc_hi_font_mask` and mutate the screen buffer. If `vc_resize()`
subsequently fails, the `err_out` path restores `vc_font.charcount`
but entirely skips rolling back the `vc_hi_font_mask` and the screen
buffer.

This mismatch leaves the terminal in a desynchronized state. Because
`vc_hi_font_mask` remains set, the VT subsystem will still accept
character indices greater than 255 from userspace and write them to the
screen buffer. Subsequent rendering calls (e.g., `fbcon_putcs()`) will
then use these inflated indices to access the reverted, 256-character
font array, leading to a deterministic out-of-bounds read and potential
kernel memory disclosure.

Fix this by adding the missing rollback logic for the `hi_font` mask
and screen buffer in the error path.
Severity
Medium severity
Medium
See what this means
CVSS v3 Base Score
6.3
See breakdown

Affected Packages

Platform Package Release Date Advisory Status
Amazon Linux 2 - Kernel-5.10 Extra kernel Pending Fix
Amazon Linux 2 - Kernel-5.15 Extra kernel Pending Fix
Amazon Linux 2 - Core kernel Not Affected
Amazon Linux 2 - Kernel-5.4 Extra kernel Not Affected
Amazon Linux 2023 kernel Pending Fix
Amazon Linux 2023 kernel6.12 Pending Fix
Amazon Linux 2023 kernel6.18 Pending Fix

CVSS Scores

Score Type Score Vector
Amazon Linux CVSSv3 6.3 CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H