In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
gpiolib: fix race condition for gdev->srcu
If two drivers were calling gpiochip_add_data_with_key(), one may be traversing the srcu-protected list in gpio_name_to_desc(), meanwhile other has just added its gdev in gpiodev_add_to_list_unlocked(). This creates a non-mutexed and non-protected timeframe, when one instance is dereferencing and using &gdev->srcu, before the other has initialized it, resulting in crash:
[ 4.935481] Unable to handle kernel paging request at virtual address ffff800272bcc000 [ 4.943396] Mem abort info: [ 4.943400] ESR = 0x0000000096000005 [ 4.943403] EC = 0x25: DABT (current EL), IL = 32 bits [ 4.943407] SET = 0, FnV = 0 [ 4.943410] EA = 0, S1PTW = 0 [ 4.943413] FSC = 0x05: level 1 translation fault [ 4.943416] Data abort info: [ 4.943418] ISV = 0, ISS = 0x00000005, ISS2 = 0x00000000 [ 4.946220] CM = 0, WnR = 0, TnD = 0, TagAccess = 0 [ 4.955261] GCS = 0, Overlay = 0, DirtyBit = 0, Xs = 0 [ 4.955268] swapper pgtable: 4k pages, 48-bit VAs, pgdp=0000000038e6c000 [ 4.961449] [ffff800272bcc000] pgd=0000000000000000 [ 4.969203] , p4d=1000000039739003 [ 4.979730] , pud=0000000000000000 [ 4.980210] phandle (CPU): 0x0000005e, phandle (BE): 0x5e000000 for node "reset" [ 4.991736] Internal error: Oops: 0000000096000005 [#1] PREEMPT SMP ... [ 5.121359] pc : __srcu_read_lock+0x44/0x98 [ 5.131091] lr : gpio_name_to_desc+0x60/0x1a0 [ 5.153671] sp : ffff8000833bb430 [ 5.298440] [ 5.298443] Call trace: [ 5.298445] __srcu_read_lock+0x44/0x98 [ 5.309484] gpio_name_to_desc+0x60/0x1a0 [ 5.320692] gpiochip_add_data_with_key+0x488/0xf00 5.946419] ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]---
Move initialization code for gdev fields before it is added to gpio_devices, with adjacent initialization code. Adjust goto statements to reflect modified order of operations
[Bartosz: fixed a build issue, removed stray newline]
| Software | From | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.9 | 6.18.6 |
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.19-rc1 | 6.19-rc1.x |
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.19-rc2 | 6.19-rc2.x |
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.19-rc3 | 6.19-rc3.x |
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.19-rc4 | 6.19-rc4.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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Recurring findings usually come from incomplete Asset Discovery, inconsistent patch management, inherited images, and configuration drift. In modern environments, you also need to watch the software supply chain: dependencies, containers, build pipelines, and third-party services can reintroduce the same weakness even after you patch a single host. Unknown or unmanaged assets (often called Shadow IT) are a common reason the same issues resurface.
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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