CVE-2026-90126 Linux CVE debrief

Who should care

Linux kernel maintainers and users who need to assess exposure and prioritize verification of affected versions, as well as apply the provided fix to prevent potential clock provider leaks.

Why it matters

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's rtc: pcf8563: fix clock provider leak on unbind has been resolved, and Linux kernel maintainers and users should assess exposure and prioritize verification of affected versions, as well as apply the provided fix to prevent potential clock provider leaks.

• Verification of affected Linux kernel versions is required to determine exposure.
• Applying the provided fix is necessary to prevent potential clock provider leaks.
• Remediation priority is medium due to the potential for resource leaks.

Technical summary

The pcf8563_clkout_register_clk() function registers the CLKOUT clock provider with of_clk_add_provider(), but nothing ever unwinds it: there is no of_clk_del_provider() call and the driver has no remove callback. Each of_clk_add_provider() allocates a struct of_clk_provider, takes a reference on the OF node and adds an entry to the global of_clk_providers list, none of which is released when the device is unbound.

Defensive priority

Linux kernel maintainers and users should assess exposure and prioritize verification of affected versions, as well as apply the provided fix to prevent potential clock provider leaks.

Recommended defensive actions

• Review and apply the provided fix to prevent potential clock provider leaks
• Verify affected versions of the Linux kernel
• Assess exposure and prioritize remediation
• Confirm whether affected product deployments exist in managed environments and assign an owner for follow-up
• Plan vendor-supported updates or mitigations through normal change control where exposure is confirmed
• Review compensating controls for exposed systems while remediation is scheduled and verified
• Check relevant monitoring, detection, and logs for exposed assets that need extra review

Evidence notes

The CVE record and source item provide details on the vulnerability, including a description of the issue and references to the relevant commits. Linux kernel maintainers and users should verify affected versions and apply the provided fix to prevent potential clock provider leaks. This involves reviewing the supplied official advisory or CVE record to validate affected scope, severity, and vendor guidance. The fix addresses a clock provider leak on unbind in the pcf8563 driver, which could lead to resource leaks if not properly rem…

Sources and references

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.