CVE-2026-53403
Public on 2026-07-19
Modified on 2026-07-24
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
fbdev: Fix fb_new_modelist to prevent null-ptr-deref in fb_videomode_to_var
info->var, a framebuffer's current mode, is expected to have a matching
entry in info->modelist. var_to_display() relies on this and treats a
failed fb_match_mode() as "This should not happen". fb_set_var() keeps it
true by adding the mode to the list on every change, and
do_register_framebuffer() does the same at registration.
store_modes() replaces the modelist from userspace. fb_new_modelist()
validates the new modes but does not check that info->var still has a
match. It relies on fbcon_new_modelist() to re-point consoles, but that
only handles consoles mapped to the framebuffer. With fbcon unbound there
are none, so info->var is left describing a mode that is no longer in the
list.
A later console takeover runs var_to_display(), where fb_match_mode()
returns NULL and leaves fb_display[i].mode NULL. fbcon_switch() passes it
to display_to_var(), and fb_videomode_to_var() dereferences the NULL mode.
Keep the current mode in the list in fb_new_modelist(), the same way
fb_set_var() does.
fbdev: Fix fb_new_modelist to prevent null-ptr-deref in fb_videomode_to_var
info->var, a framebuffer's current mode, is expected to have a matching
entry in info->modelist. var_to_display() relies on this and treats a
failed fb_match_mode() as "This should not happen". fb_set_var() keeps it
true by adding the mode to the list on every change, and
do_register_framebuffer() does the same at registration.
store_modes() replaces the modelist from userspace. fb_new_modelist()
validates the new modes but does not check that info->var still has a
match. It relies on fbcon_new_modelist() to re-point consoles, but that
only handles consoles mapped to the framebuffer. With fbcon unbound there
are none, so info->var is left describing a mode that is no longer in the
list.
A later console takeover runs var_to_display(), where fb_match_mode()
returns NULL and leaves fb_display[i].mode NULL. fbcon_switch() passes it
to display_to_var(), and fb_videomode_to_var() dereferences the NULL mode.
Keep the current mode in the list in fb_new_modelist(), the same way
fb_set_var() does.
Severity
See what this means
CVSS v3 Base Score
See breakdown
Affected Packages
| Platform | Package | Release Date | Advisory | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux 2 - Core | kernel | Pending Fix | ||
| Amazon Linux 2 - Kernel-5.10 Extra | kernel | Pending Fix | ||
| Amazon Linux 2 - Kernel-5.15 Extra | kernel | Pending Fix | ||
| Amazon Linux 2 - Kernel-5.4 Extra | kernel | Pending Fix | ||
| 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 | 4.4 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H |