Linux Kernel up to 6.6.147/6.12.100/6.18.41/7.1.5 pwc pwc-driver.c start_streaming denial of service

CVSS Meta Temp Score
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CTI Interest Score
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9.5$0-$5k0.54+

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability identified as very critical has been detected in Linux Kernel up to 6.6.147/6.12.100/6.18.41/7.1.5. Impacted is the function start_streaming of the file drivers/media/usb/pwc/pwc-driver.c of the component pwc. The manipulation leads to denial of service. This vulnerability is uniquely identified as CVE-2026-68216. The attack is possible to be carried out remotely. No exploit exists.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.6.147/6.12.100/6.18.41/7.1.5. It has been rated as very critical. This issue affects the function start_streaming of the file drivers/media/usb/pwc/pwc-driver.c of the component pwc. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a denial of service vulnerability. Using CWE to declare the problem leads to CWE-404. The product does not release or incorrectly releases a resource before it is made available for re-use. Impacted is confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: media: pwc: Return queued buffers on start_streaming() failure The vb2 framework hands buffers to the driver via buf_queue() before calling start_streaming(). If start_streaming() returns an error without first returning those buffers via vb2_buffer_done(), vb2_start_streaming() fires WARN_ON(owned_by_drv_count) and the queued buffers leak. pwc's start_streaming() had two early returns that hit this trap: -ENODEV when the USB device was already disconnected, and -ERESTARTSYS when mutex_lock_interruptible() was interrupted by a signal. Call the existing pwc_cleanup_queued_bufs() helper with VB2_BUF_STATE_QUEUED before returning (matching the state already used by the pwc_isoc_init() error path in the same function). This mirrors the uvcvideo fix in commit 4cf3b6fd54eb ("media: uvcvideo: Return queued buffers on start_streaming() failure").

The advisory is shared at git.kernel.org. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-2026-68216 since 07/30/2026. The exploitation is known to be easy. The attack may be initiated remotely. No form of authentication is needed for a successful exploitation. Technical details are known, but no exploit is available. The price for an exploit might be around USD $0-$5k at the moment (estimation calculated on 08/10/2026). MITRE ATT&CK project uses the attack technique T1499 for this issue.

Upgrading to version 6.6.148, 6.12.101, 6.18.42, 7.1.6 or 7.2-rc1 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch f2f9fcacd81953dde6cb86312ab13ca13e689664/5d7cc2634c3843a1414a0f6407aa17f1f91dee60/cb16b79a2be2cec9c3ebe4147490817c4d8b1de3/a4f8f629983f643333e49df90557805469bcbb25/975b2ee20e569d47821e4f6c9761b4664d48a6a4 is able to eliminate this problem.

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Productinfo

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Vendor

Name

Version

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CPE 2.3info

CPE 2.2info

CVSSv4info

VulDB Vector: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv3info

VulDB Meta Base Score: 10.0
VulDB Meta Temp Score: 9.5

VulDB Base Score: 10.0
VulDB Temp Score: 9.5
VulDB Vector: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv2info

AVACAuCIA
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VectorComplexityAuthenticationConfidentialityIntegrityAvailability
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VulDB Base Score: 🔒
VulDB Temp Score: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

Exploitinginfo

Class: Denial of service
CWE: CWE-404
CAPEC: 🔒
ATT&CK: 🔒

Physical: No
Local: No
Remote: Yes

Availability: 🔒
Status: Not defined
Price Prediction: 🔍
Current Price Estimation: 🔒

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Threat Intelligenceinfo

Interest: 🔍
Active Actors: 🔍
Active APT Groups: 🔍

Countermeasuresinfo

Recommended: Upgrade
Status: 🔍

0-Day Time: 🔒

Upgrade: Kernel 6.6.148/6.12.101/6.18.42/7.1.6/7.2-rc1
Patch: f2f9fcacd81953dde6cb86312ab13ca13e689664/5d7cc2634c3843a1414a0f6407aa17f1f91dee60/cb16b79a2be2cec9c3ebe4147490817c4d8b1de3/a4f8f629983f643333e49df90557805469bcbb25/975b2ee20e569d47821e4f6c9761b4664d48a6a4

Timelineinfo

07/30/2026 CVE reserved
08/10/2026 +11 days Advisory disclosed
08/10/2026 +0 days VulDB entry created
08/10/2026 +0 days VulDB entry last update

Sourcesinfo

Vendor: kernel.org

Advisory: git.kernel.org
Status: Confirmed

CVE: CVE-2026-68216 (🔒)
GCVE (CVE): GCVE-0-2026-68216
GCVE (VulDB): GCVE-100-387557

Entryinfo

Created: 08/10/2026 16:09
Changes: 08/10/2026 16:09 (60)
Complete: 🔍
Cache ID: 216::103

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