CVE-2026-98771

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: usb: storage: sierra_ms: reject short SWoC info transfers sierra_get_swoc_info() requests sizeof(struct swoc_info) (60) bytes from the device via usb_control_msg(), but its callers only treat a negative return value as failure. A device that answers the vendor-specific GetSwocInfo request with a short IN transfer is therefore accepted, leaving the tail of the freshly allocated (kmalloc(), non-zeroing) swoc_info buffer uninitialized. truinst_show() subsequently prints swocInfo->rev, swocInfo->LinuxSKU and swocInfo->LinuxVer from that buffer into the world-readable (0444) "truinst" sysfs attribute. An emulated/malicious USB device (VID 0x1199, PID 0x0fff) can exploit this to disclose up to 5 bytes of stale kernel heap memory (kmalloc-64) to unprivileged userspace, once per sysfs read, indefinitely. On kernels built without init_on_alloc this leaks recently freed heap contents. Only accept the transfer when the full structure was received. sierra_ms_init() already retries failed queries, so well-behaved devices are unaffected.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2026-10-18
Last modified 2026-10-18
Patch available
Yes

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 2.6.27 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.12.113, 6.18.56, 7.2.10, 7.3 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 2.6.27
Fixed in
✓ 6.12.113 6.12.x ✓ 6.18.56 6.18.x ✓ 7.2.10 7.2.x ✓ 7.3

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-98771?

    CVE-2026-98771 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 2.6.27 onward and has been patched in 6.12.113, 6.18.56, 7.2.10 and others. CVE-2026-98771 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-98771?

    Yes. CVE-2026-98771 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.12.113, 6.18.56, 7.2.10 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 2.6.27 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-98771 actively exploited?

    No. CVE-2026-98771 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.