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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2026-52948

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-06-24
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.10.259 / 5.15.210 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click 8 weeks old

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: i2c: dev: prevent integer overflow in I2C_TIMEOUT ioctl While fuzzing with Syzkaller, a persistent `schedule_timeout: wrong timeout value` warning was observed, accompanied by SMBus controller state machine corruption. The I2C_TIMEOUT ioctl accepts a user-provided timeout in multiples of 10 ms. The user argument is checked against INT_MAX, but it is subsequently multiplied by 10 before being passed to msecs_to_jiffies(). A malicious user can pass a large value (e.g., 429496729) that passes the `arg > INT_MAX` check but overflows when multiplied by 10. This results in a truncated 32-bit unsigned value that bypasses the internal `(int)m < 0` check in `msecs_to_jiffies()`. The truncated value is then assigned to `client->adapter->timeout` (a signed 32-bit int), which is reinterpreted as a negative number. When passed to wait_for_completion_timeout(), this negative value undergoes sign extension to a 64-bit unsigned long, triggering the `schedule_timeout` warning and causing premature returns. This leaves the SMBus state machine in an unrecoverable state, constituting a local Denial of Service (DoS). Fix this by bounding the user argument to `INT_MAX / 10`. [wsa: move the comment as well]

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 · high confidence

Integer overflow in Linux kernel's I2C_TIMEOUT ioctl where user-provided timeout value is checked against INT_MAX but then multiplied by 10, causing overflow. The truncated result becomes negative when cast to signed 32-bit int, leading to premature wait_for_completion_timeout() returns and SMBus state machine corruption, constituting local DoS.

MitigationApply the kernel patch to bound user argument to INT_MAX / 10 before multiplication, preventing the overflow that leads to negative timeout values.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

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:>= 2.6.29.1, < 5.10.259>= 5.11, < 5.15.210>= 5.16, < 6.1.176>= 6.2, < 6.6.143>= 6.7, < 6.12.94>= 6.13, < 6.18.36>= 6.19, < 7.0.13= 2.6.29= 7.1

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify running kernel version
    Run 'uname -r' or check /proc/version to get the exact kernel version string
    Affected if The version falls within any of the affected ranges: < 5.10.259, >= 5.11 and < 5.15.210, >= 5.16 and < 6.1.176, >= 6.2 and < 6.6.143, >= 6.7 and < 6.12.94, >= 6.13 and < 6.18.36, >= 6.19 and < 7.0.13, or equals 2.6.29 or 7.1
  2. Check if I2C subsystem is active
    List I2C adapter devices by running 'ls -la /dev/i2c-*' or check for loaded I2C kernel modules with 'lsmod | grep i2c'
    Affected if I2C adapters exist in /dev/ or i2c-related modules are loaded, indicating the vulnerable ioctl interface is accessible
  3. Verify I2C device nodes are accessible
    Check for I2C character devices: 'ls /dev/i2c* 2>/dev/null' and note their permissions
    Affected if The /dev/i2c-* device nodes exist and the calling user has read/write access to them (typically requires root or group access)
  4. Confirm presence of I2C hardware or drivers
    Examine /sys/bus/i2c/devices/ or run 'i2cdetect -l' if i2c-tools is installed to list adapters
    Affected if I2C adapters or devices are enumerated in the system, meaning the I2C_TIMEOUT ioctl could be invoked against them

You are affected if your kernel version is within the vulnerable ranges AND you have active I2C adapters/devices accessible on the system that can accept the I2C_TIMEOUT ioctl call.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 5.10.259 / 5.15.210 / 6.1.176 or later
Fixed in 5.10.2595.15.2106.1.176
Interim mitigation

Apply the kernel patch to bound user argument to INT_MAX / 10 before multiplication, preventing the overflow that leads to negative timeout values.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to kernel 5.10.259, 5.15.210, 6.1.176, or 6.6.143 (or later) depending on the branch in use

  1. Identify the i2c-dev driver source file (typically drivers/i2c/i2c-dev.c)
  2. Locate the I2C_TIMEOUT ioctl handler code
  3. Modify the validation check to bound the user-provided timeout argument to INT_MAX/10 before multiplication
  4. The check should be changed from `if (arg > INT_MAX)` to `if (arg > INT_MAX / 10)`
  5. Recompile the kernel with the fix applied
  6. Reboot systems running affected kernel versions
Caveat Kernel upgrade carries standard upgrade risks; ensure compatibility with hardware drivers and dependent modules before deploying

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

Fix this in Linux Kernel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
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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-2026-52948 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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