Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2026-43488

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.6.130 / 6.12.78 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click Patch available

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: usb: xhci: Prevent interrupt storm on host controller error (HCE) The xHCI controller reports a Host Controller Error (HCE) in UAS Storage Device plug/unplug scenarios on Android devices. HCE is checked in xhci_irq() function and causes an interrupt storm (since the interrupt isn’t cleared), leading to severe system-level faults. When the xHC controller reports HCE in the interrupt handler, the driver only logs a warning and assumes xHC activity will stop as stated in xHCI specification. An interrupt storm does however continue on some hosts even after HCE, and only ceases after manually disabling xHC interrupt and stopping the controller by calling xhci_halt(). Add xhci_halt() to xhci_irq() function where STS_HCE status is checked, mirroring the existing error handling pattern used for STS_FATAL errors. This only fixes the interrupt storm. Proper HCE recovery requires resetting and re-initializing the xHC.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis

A detailed technical summary for this CVE is being prepared.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:>= 6.2, < 6.6.130>= 6.7, < 6.12.78>= 6.13, < 6.18.19>= 6.19, < 6.19.9= 7.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 6.6.130 / 6.12.78 / 6.18.19 or later
Fixed in 6.6.1306.12.786.18.19
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Linux Kernel 6.6.130, 6.12.78, 6.18.19, or 6.19.9 (depending on which major version branch you are on)

  1. Identify the currently running kernel version using `uname -r`
  2. Determine which version range your current kernel falls into from: >= 6.2 and < 6.6.130, >= 6.7 and < 6.12.78, >= 6.13 and < 6.18.19, or >= 6.19 and < 6.19.9
  3. Upgrade the Linux kernel to the corresponding fixed release: 6.6.130, 6.12.78, 6.18.19, or 6.19.9 respectively, using your distribution's package manager (e.g., `apt-get dist-upgrade`, `yum update`, or `dnf upgrade`)
  4. Reboot the system to load the patched kernel
  5. Verify the fix is applied by checking the kernel version with `uname -r` matches the fixed release
Caveat Standard kernel upgrade risks apply - ensure compatibility with custom drivers/modules and verify critical system services function after reboot

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $1,600. Get the upgrade done

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-43488 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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