CVE-2026-23280 in Linux
Summary
by MITRE • 03/25/2026
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
accel/amdxdna: Prevent ubuf size overflow
The ubuf size calculation may overflow, resulting in an undersized allocation and possible memory corruption.
Use check_add_overflow() helpers to validate the size calculation before allocation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/22/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2026-23280 resides within the Linux kernel's amdxdna driver, specifically addressing a critical memory management flaw in the acceleration subsystem. This issue affects the handling of user buffer (ubuf) size calculations within the device driver responsible for AMD's XDNA hardware acceleration capabilities. The flaw manifests when the kernel attempts to calculate memory requirements for user buffers, where arithmetic overflow conditions can occur during the size computation process. Such overflow conditions lead to incorrect memory allocation sizes that are deliberately smaller than required, creating potential attack vectors for memory corruption exploits.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation during the ubuf size calculation routine. When the driver processes memory allocation requests for user-space applications utilizing the amdxdna acceleration hardware, it performs arithmetic operations to determine the appropriate buffer size. The absence of proper overflow checking in these calculations allows malicious actors to manipulate input parameters in such a way that the arithmetic operations produce values that exceed the maximum representable size for the data type used in the calculation. This results in the system allocating insufficient memory space, which can subsequently be overwritten or corrupted during normal operation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple memory corruption, representing a potential pathway for privilege escalation and system instability. Attackers exploiting this flaw could manipulate the ubuf size calculations through crafted input parameters, leading to heap corruption, information disclosure, or potentially arbitrary code execution within the kernel context. The vulnerability directly impacts the integrity of kernel memory management, as the incorrect allocation sizes can cause memory fragmentation, overwrite adjacent memory regions, or create use-after-free conditions that attackers might leverage to gain elevated privileges. Given that this affects the amdxdna driver, systems utilizing AMD XDNA hardware acceleration are particularly vulnerable, including data centers, high-performance computing environments, and server infrastructure relying on this acceleration technology.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2026-23280 focus on implementing proper overflow detection mechanisms within the kernel's memory allocation routines. The resolution involves incorporating check_add_overflow() helper functions to validate size calculations before any memory allocation occurs, preventing the propagation of overflow conditions into actual memory management operations. This approach aligns with established security practices for kernel development and follows the principle of input validation as outlined in the CWE-190 category for integer overflow/underflow conditions. The fix demonstrates adherence to secure coding practices recommended by the ATT&CK framework under the T1068 technique for exploit development, specifically targeting kernel-level vulnerabilities. System administrators should prioritize applying the patched kernel version that includes this fix, as the vulnerability represents a fundamental memory safety issue that could be exploited by attackers with local access to manipulate the affected driver. The mitigation approach also emphasizes the importance of comprehensive testing and validation of kernel memory management subsystems to prevent similar issues in other hardware acceleration drivers and kernel modules.