CVE-2026-53403

Public on 2026-07-19
Modified on 2026-07-24
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

fbdev: Fix fb_new_modelist to prevent null-ptr-deref in fb_videomode_to_var

info->var, a framebuffer's current mode, is expected to have a matching
entry in info->modelist. var_to_display() relies on this and treats a
failed fb_match_mode() as "This should not happen". fb_set_var() keeps it
true by adding the mode to the list on every change, and
do_register_framebuffer() does the same at registration.

store_modes() replaces the modelist from userspace. fb_new_modelist()
validates the new modes but does not check that info->var still has a
match. It relies on fbcon_new_modelist() to re-point consoles, but that
only handles consoles mapped to the framebuffer. With fbcon unbound there
are none, so info->var is left describing a mode that is no longer in the
list.

A later console takeover runs var_to_display(), where fb_match_mode()
returns NULL and leaves fb_display[i].mode NULL. fbcon_switch() passes it
to display_to_var(), and fb_videomode_to_var() dereferences the NULL mode.

Keep the current mode in the list in fb_new_modelist(), the same way
fb_set_var() does.
Severity
Medium severity
Medium
See what this means
CVSS v3 Base Score
4.4
See breakdown

Affected Packages

Platform Package Release Date Advisory Status
Amazon Linux 2 - Core kernel Pending Fix
Amazon Linux 2 - Kernel-5.10 Extra kernel 2026-07-20 ALAS2KERNEL-5.10-2026-126 Fixed
Amazon Linux 2 - Kernel-5.15 Extra kernel 2026-07-27 ALAS2KERNEL-5.15-2026-111 Fixed
Amazon Linux 2 - Kernel-5.4 Extra kernel Pending Fix
Amazon Linux 2023 kernel Pending Fix
Amazon Linux 2023 kernel6.12 Pending Fix
Amazon Linux 2023 kernel6.18 2026-07-20 ALAS2023-2026-1969 Fixed

CVSS Scores

Score Type Score Vector
Amazon Linux CVSSv3 4.4 CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H