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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2026-52966

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-06-24
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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: drm: Replace old pointer to new idr Commit 5e28b7b94408 introduced a logical error by failing to replace the newly generated IDR pointer to old id's pointer at the correct location within the "change handle" logic; this resulted in the issue reported by syzbot [1]. Specifically, the new IDR object pointer is intended to replace the original id's pointer during the normal execution flow. Additionally, an unnecessary conditional check for the ret exit path has been removed. [1] !RB_EMPTY_ROOT(&prime_fpriv->dmabufs) WARNING: drivers/gpu/drm/drm_prime.c:224 at drm_prime_destroy_file_private+0x48/0x60 drivers/gpu/drm/drm_prime.c:224, CPU#0: syz.0.17/5833 Call Trace: drm_file_free.part.0+0x7e6/0xcc0 drivers/gpu/drm/drm_file.c:269 drm_file_free drivers/gpu/drm/drm_file.c:237 [inline] drm_close_helper.isra.0+0x186/0x200 drivers/gpu/drm/drm_file.c:290 drm_release+0x1ab/0x360 drivers/gpu/drm/drm_file.c:438

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 · moderate confidence

Linux kernel vulnerability in DRM subsystem's prime file private handling where commit 5e28b7b94408 introduced a logical error failing to replace the newly generated IDR pointer to the old id's pointer in the 'change handle' logic. This causes improper memory management and potential use-after-free conditions, as evidenced by syzbot detecting non-empty dmabufs RB tree (!RB_EMPTY_ROOT) during file private cleanup.

MitigationKernel patch required to fix the IDR pointer replacement logic in drm_prime.c - the new IDR object pointer must correctly replace the original id's pointer during normal execution flow. This is a logical code flow issue, not a configuration workaround.

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:= 6.18.32= 7.0.9= 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 the running kernel version
    Run `uname -r` or check `/proc/version` to get the installed kernel version
    Affected if The version matches 6.18.32, 7.0.9, or 7.1 exactly (note: the '=' notation suggests exact version matches rather than ranges)
  2. Verify DRM subsystem is present
    Check for loaded DRM modules using `lsmod | grep -i drm` or check `/sys/class/drm/` exists
    Affected if The system has a DRM-subsystem graphics driver loaded (common on systems with GPU hardware)
  3. Confirm DRM prime functionality is active
    Check for drm_prime related module or code path: look for `drm` module in `lsmod` output and check if prime-handling ioctls have been invoked via audit logs or direct inspection of /sys/module/drm/parameters
    Affected if DRM prime (dma-buf) functionality is being used - this is typically active when GPU memory sharing operations occur, check `lsmod` for drm modules and monitor for prime-related operations
  4. Inspect the affected source code in drm_prime.c
    Check if the kernel source at drivers/gpu/drm/drm_prime.c contains the problematic commit 5e28b7b94408 by reviewing git log or examining the 'change handle' logic for IDR pointer handling
    Affected if The source code contains commit 5e28b7b94408 and exhibits the logical error where new IDR pointer is not correctly replacing the old id pointer in the change handle logic
  5. Monitor for symptoms in kernel logs
    Check dmesg or kernel logs for 'RB_EMPTY_ROOT' warnings during drm file private cleanup, or look for use-after-free errors in the DRM subsystem
    Affected if Non-empty RB tree (!RB_EMPTY_ROOT) errors appear during DRM file private cleanup, indicating the memory management bug is manifesting

A system is affected if it runs a kernel version matching 6.18.32, 7.0.9, or 7.1 AND uses DRM prime functionality, with symptoms appearing as RB tree errors during file cleanup

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Kernel patch required to fix the IDR pointer replacement logic in drm_prime.c - the new IDR object pointer must correctly replace the original id's pointer during normal execution flow. This is a logical code flow issue, not a configuration workaround.

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-2026-52966 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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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