In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ALSA: timer: fix ida_free call while not allocated
In the snd_utimer_create() function, if the kasprintf() function return NULL, snd_utimer_put_id() will be called, finally use ida_free() to free the unallocated id 0.
the syzkaller reported the following information: ------------[ cut here ]------------ ida_free called for id=0 which is not allocated. WARNING: CPU: 1 PID: 1286 at lib/idr.c:592 ida_free+0x1fd/0x2f0 lib/idr.c:592 Modules linked in: CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 1286 Comm: syz-executor164 Not tainted 6.15.8 #3 PREEMPT(lazy) Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.16.3-4.fc42 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:ida_free+0x1fd/0x2f0 lib/idr.c:592 Code: f8 fc 41 83 fc 3e 76 69 e8 70 b2 f8 (...) RSP: 0018:ffffc900007f79c8 EFLAGS: 00010282 RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: 1ffff920000fef3b RCX: ffffffff872176a5 RDX: ffff88800369d200 RSI: 0000000000000000 RDI: ffff88800369d200 RBP: 0000000000000000 R08: ffffffff87ba60a5 R09: 0000000000000000 R10: 0000000000000001 R11: 0000000000000000 R12: 0000000000000000 R13: 0000000000000002 R14: 0000000000000000 R15: 0000000000000000 FS: 00007f6f1abc1740(0000) GS:ffff8880d76a0000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 00007f6f1ad7a784 CR3: 000000007a6e2000 CR4: 00000000000006f0 Call Trace: <TASK> snd_utimer_put_id sound/core/timer.c:2043 [inline] [snd_timer] snd_utimer_create+0x59b/0x6a0 sound/core/timer.c:2184 [snd_timer] snd_utimer_ioctl_create sound/core/timer.c:2202 [inline] [snd_timer] __snd_timer_user_ioctl.isra.0+0x724/0x1340 sound/core/timer.c:2287 [snd_timer] snd_timer_user_ioctl+0x75/0xc0 sound/core/timer.c:2298 [snd_timer] vfs_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:51 [inline] __do_sys_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:907 [inline] __se_sys_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:893 [inline] __x64_sys_ioctl+0x198/0x200 fs/ioctl.c:893 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:63 [inline] do_syscall_64+0x7b/0x160 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:94 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e [...]
The utimer->id should be set properly before the kasprintf() function, ensures the snd_utimer_put_id() function will free the allocated id.
| Software | From | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.12 | 6.12.44 |
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.13 | 6.16.4 |
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.17-rc1 | 6.17-rc1.x |
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.17-rc2 | 6.17-rc2.x |
A security vulnerability is a weakness in software, hardware, or configuration that can be exploited to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Many vulnerabilities are tracked as CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), which provide a standardized identifier so teams can coordinate patching, mitigation, and risk assessment across tools and vendors.
CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) estimates technical severity, but it doesn't automatically equal business risk. Prioritize using context like internet exposure, affected asset criticality, known exploitation (proof-of-concept or in-the-wild), and whether compensating controls exist. A "Medium" CVSS on an exposed, production system can be more urgent than a "Critical" on an isolated, non-production host.
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Use a simple, repeatable triage model: focus first on externally exposed assets, high-value systems (identity, VPN, email, production), vulnerabilities with known exploits, and issues that enable remote code execution or privilege escalation. Then enforce patch SLAs and track progress using consistent metrics so remediation is steady, not reactive.
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