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CVE-2026-46197 Linux CVE debrief

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's AMD GPU kernel driver (amdkfd) allowed out-of-bounds buffer access through the SVM (Shared Virtual Memory) ioctl interface. The flaw stemmed from insufficient validation of the `nattr` field, which specifies the number of attributes in a user-supplied buffer. Without proper bounds checking against the actual buffer size, a user-controlled attribute count could trigger memory access beyond allocated boundaries. The fix adds validation to ensure `nattr` does not exceed the buffer's capacity. This vulnerability affects systems using AMD GPUs with ROCm/HSA compute capabilities where the amdkfd driver is active. The issue was resolved in the Linux kernel stable branches, with patches backported to multiple kernel versions.

Vendor
Linux
Product
Unknown
CVSS
HIGH 7.8
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2026-05-28
Original CVE updated
2026-06-10
Advisory published
2026-05-28
Advisory updated
2026-06-10

Who should care

Organizations running Linux systems with AMD GPUs, particularly those using ROCm/HSA compute workloads. Cloud providers and HPC environments with AMD GPU infrastructure. System administrators responsible for kernel security maintenance.

Technical summary

The vulnerability exists in the drm/amdkfd driver's SVM (Shared Virtual Memory) ioctl implementation. The `nattr` parameter, which indicates the number of attributes provided by userspace, was not validated against the actual size of the attribute buffer. This allowed a malicious or malformed userspace application to specify a `nattr` value larger than the allocated buffer, causing the kernel to read or write beyond buffer boundaries during attribute processing. The fix introduces proper bounds validation to ensure `nattr` does not exceed the buffer capacity before attribute iteration occurs.

Defensive priority

medium

Recommended defensive actions

  • Apply kernel updates from your Linux distribution that include the amdkfd SVM ioctl fix
  • Verify running kernel version against patched versions in stable kernel branches
  • For systems using AMD ROCm/HSA compute workloads, prioritize kernel updates
  • Monitor NVD for CVSS score assignment once analysis is complete

Evidence notes

CVE description confirms the vulnerability is in drm/amdkfd SVM ioctl handling. The fix validates nattr against buffer size to prevent out-of-bounds access. Five kernel.org stable branch commits are referenced, indicating backports to multiple kernel versions. No CVSS score or severity rating has been assigned by NVD (status: Awaiting Analysis).

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

  • CVE-2026-46197 CVE Program record

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-46197

    CVE Program - Official CVE Program record with source-provided CVE metadata.

  • CVE-2026-46197 NVD vulnerability detail

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-46197

    NIST National Vulnerability Database - Official NIST NVD detail page and source-specific vulnerability assessment.

Supplemental references

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/045e0ff208f0838a246c10204105126611b267a1

    416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6abd3a4417cb73a7d0db7e25bf11fae1074bdba3

    416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/91c6dc5a41695d02dfc6299f106ac38a6c493e52

    416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ccd060b5c7cc75ae7e211c250b97c5b6272e7efc

    416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/db9530a9873a7c85d2266a922589ebcf427fa631

    416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.