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CVE-2026-63826 Not scored

fbdev: fix use-after-free in store_modes()

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fbdev: fix use-after-free in store_modes() store_modes() replaces a framebuffer's modelist with modes from userspace. On success it frees the old modelist with fb_destroy_modelist(). Two fields still point into that freed list. One pointer is fb_display[i].mode, the mode a console is using. fbcon_new_modelist() moves these pointers to the new list. It only does so for consoles still mapped to the framebuffer. An unmapped console is skipped and keeps its stale pointer. Unbinding fbcon, for example, sets con2fb_map[i] to -1 but leaves fb_display[i].mode set. An FBIOPUT_VSCREENINFO ioctl with FB_ACTIVATE_INV_MODE later reaches fbcon_mode_deleted(). That function reads the stale fb_display[i].mode through fb_mode_is_equal(). The read is a use-after-free. The other pointer is fb_info->mode, the current mode. It is set through the mode sysfs attribute. store_modes() does not update fb_info->mode, so it is left pointing into the freed list. show_mode(), the attribute's read handler, dereferences the stale fb_info->mode through mode_string(). The read is a use-after-free. Clear both pointers before freeing the list. Commit a1f305893074 ("fbcon: Set fb_display[i]->mode to NULL when the mode is released") added the helper fbcon_delete_modelist(). It clears every fb_display[i].mode that points into a given list. So far it is called only from the unregister path. Call it from store_modes() too, and set fb_info->mode to NULL.

Exploit probability 0.2%
Published July 19, 2026
Required by Not available
Last source change July 23, 2026

02 / AFFECTED SOFTWARE

Affected packages

Unknown Unknown

1192 explicit affected versions

Linux Kernel

03 / CONNECTIONS

Connected vulnerabilities

04 / EVIDENCE

Source records

Open Source Vulnerabilities CVE-2026-63826

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fbdev: fix use-after-free in store_modes() store_modes() replaces a framebuffer's modelist with modes from userspace. On success it frees the old modelist with fb_destroy_modelist(). Two fields still point into that freed list. One pointer is fb_display[i].mode, the mode a console is using. fbcon_new_modelist() moves these pointers to the new list. It only does so for consoles still mapped to the framebuffer. An unmapped console is skipped and keeps its stale pointer. Unbinding fbcon, for example, sets con2fb_map[i] to -1 but leaves fb_display[i].mode set. An FBIOPUT_VSCREENINFO ioctl with FB_ACTIVATE_INV_MODE later reaches fbcon_mode_deleted(). That function reads the stale fb_display[i].mode through fb_mode_is_equal(). The read is a use-after-free. The other pointer is fb_info->mode, the current mode. It is set through the mode sysfs attribute. store_modes() does not update fb_info->mode, so it is left pointing into the freed list. show_mode(), the attribute's read handler, dereferences the stale fb_info->mode through mode_string(). The read is a use-after-free. Clear both pointers before freeing the list. Commit a1f305893074 ("fbcon: Set fb_display[i]->mode to NULL when the mode is released") added the helper fbcon_delete_modelist(). It clears every fb_display[i].mode that points into a given list. So far it is called only from the unregister path. Call it from store_modes() too, and set fb_info->mode to NULL.

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05 / REFERENCES

Further evidence