CVE-2026-74635

Status: ReceivedHigh (7.8)—

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

fbdev: bitblit: bound-check glyph index in bit_cursor()

bit_cursor() fetches the glyph under the cursor with

where charmask is 0x1ff when vc_hi_font_mask is set. The screen buffer value comes directly from scr_readw() and may be larger than the current font's glyph count.

Syzkaller triggers this via vcs_write(). The Call Trace shows vcs_write() in vc_screen.c writing an arbitrary 16-bit value with writev() to /dev/vcsa, which vcs_write_buf() in vc_screen.c stores via vcs_scr_writew() without checking charcount. The stored value is later read in bit_cursor() in bitblit.c.

Read full descriptionShow less

When the font is changed from a font with 512 glyphs to a font with 256 glyphs, the screen buffer can retain characters with the high bit set from the previous mode, which could also produce the same out-of-bounds access.

bit_putcs_aligned() and bit_putcs_unaligned() already clamp the glyph index to vc_font.charcount. Apply the same clamp in bit_cursor() after extracting the attribute and masking, before indexing fontdata.

The fix completes the bounds checking started in commit 18c4ef4e765a ("fbdev: bitblit: bound-check glyph index in bit_putcs*"), which missed the cursor path.

This change should be safe because the clamp reuses the existing contract from fbcon: charcount is maintained under console_lock in con_font_set() and fbcon_font_set(), and hi_font_mask is cleared when switching from 512 to 256 glyphs. When stale screen data with high bits remains after a font switch, or when vcs_write() stores an arbitrary value, clamping the index to 0 prevents the out-of-bounds read without changing cursor semantics — the same fallback bit_putcs uses.

Technical details traces, logs and code from the original report

	c = scr_readw(vc_pos);
	src = vc_font.data + ((c & charmask) * w * height);

  BUG: KASAN: global-out-of-bounds in soft_cursor+0x378/0x6bc drivers/video/fbdev/core/softcursor.c:70
  Read of size 16 at addr ffff800086c57970

  Call Trace:
   soft_cursor+0x378/0x6bc drivers/video/fbdev/core/softcursor.c:70
   bit_cursor+0xa90/0x1108 drivers/video/fbdev/core/bitblit.c:365
   fbcon_cursor+0x344/0x498 drivers/video/fbdev/core/fbcon.c:1427
   hide_cursor+0xdc/0x2d0 drivers/tty/vt/vt.c:883
   update_region+0x100/0x18c drivers/tty/vt/vt.c:669
   vcs_write+0x8ec/0xaf0 drivers/tty/vt/vc_screen.c:685

CVSS

Version: 3.1
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Base score: 7.8

Exploitation probability (EPSS)

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.13%
Percentile among all scored CVEs: 2
Score date: 10/1/2026

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System, FIRST) estimates how likely a vulnerability is to be exploited in the wild within 30 days. It complements CVSS (impact) and CISA KEV (confirmed exploitation).

🎯 ATT&CK techniques

How this vulnerability is exploited and what the attacker gains, in MITRE ATT&CK terms.

ExploitationT1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalationprivilege escalation85 %
Primary impactT1005 Data from Local Systemcollection75 %

Acceso local sin interacción (AV:L/PR:L/UI:N) con escritura arbitraria en buffer de pantalla via vcs_write(), causando lectura fuera de límites en kernel.

Inferred by our analysis agent from the official description, CVSS vector and CWE, and checked by a supervisor. May contain errors.

🛡️ ATT&CK mitigations that cover these techniques

Threat Intelligence Program Execution Prevention Application Isolation and Sandboxing Exploit Protection Update Software Data Loss Prevention

Affected technologies (1)

⚠ AI-inferred from the description — NVD hasn't analyzed this CVE yet, these aren't verified CPEs.

Linux — Linux Kernel^AI

References

Raw JSON (NVD)

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{
  "id": "CVE-2026-74635",
  "cveTags": [],
  "metrics": {
    "cvssMetricV31": [
      {
        "type": "Secondary",
        "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
        "cvssData": {
          "scope": "UNCHANGED",
          "version": "3.1",
          "baseScore": 7.8,
          "attackVector": "LOCAL",
          "baseSeverity": "HIGH",
          "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
          "integrityImpact": "HIGH",
          "userInteraction": "NONE",
          "attackComplexity": "LOW",
          "availabilityImpact": "HIGH",
          "privilegesRequired": "LOW",
          "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH"
        },
        "impactScore": 5.9,
        "exploitabilityScore": 1.8
      }
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  "published": "2026-08-22T16:16:36.590",
  "references": [
    {
      "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/250159ace2dc53c1bdad267aa8da51b638748700",
      "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
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      "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
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      "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
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      "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
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      "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
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      "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
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      "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
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    {
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      "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
    }
  ],
  "vulnStatus": "Received",
  "descriptions": [
    {
      "lang": "en",
      "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nfbdev: bitblit: bound-check glyph index in bit_cursor()\n\nbit_cursor() fetches the glyph under the cursor with\n\n\tc = scr_readw(vc_pos);\n\tsrc = vc_font.data + ((c & charmask) * w * height);\n\nwhere charmask is 0x1ff when vc_hi_font_mask is set. The screen buffer\nvalue comes directly from scr_readw() and may be larger than the current\nfont's glyph count.\n\nSyzkaller triggers this via vcs_write(). The Call Trace shows\nvcs_write() in vc_screen.c writing an arbitrary 16-bit value with\nwritev() to /dev/vcsa, which vcs_write_buf() in vc_screen.c stores via\nvcs_scr_writew() without checking charcount. The stored value is later\nread in bit_cursor() in bitblit.c.\n\nWhen the font is changed from a font with 512 glyphs to a font with\n256 glyphs, the screen buffer can retain characters with the high\nbit set from the previous mode, which could also produce the same\nout-of-bounds access.\n\n  BUG: KASAN: global-out-of-bounds in soft_cursor+0x378/0x6bc drivers/video/fbdev/core/softcursor.c:70\n  Read of size 16 at addr ffff800086c57970\n\n  Call Trace:\n   soft_cursor+0x378/0x6bc drivers/video/fbdev/core/softcursor.c:70\n   bit_cursor+0xa90/0x1108 drivers/video/fbdev/core/bitblit.c:365\n   fbcon_cursor+0x344/0x498 drivers/video/fbdev/core/fbcon.c:1427\n   hide_cursor+0xdc/0x2d0 drivers/tty/vt/vt.c:883\n   update_region+0x100/0x18c drivers/tty/vt/vt.c:669\n   vcs_write+0x8ec/0xaf0 drivers/tty/vt/vc_screen.c:685\n\nbit_putcs_aligned() and bit_putcs_unaligned() already clamp the glyph\nindex to vc_font.charcount. Apply the same clamp in bit_cursor() after\nextracting the attribute and masking, before indexing fontdata.\n\nThe fix completes the bounds checking started in commit 18c4ef4e765a\n(\"fbdev: bitblit: bound-check glyph index in bit_putcs*\"), which missed\nthe cursor path.\n\nThis change should be safe because the clamp reuses the existing\ncontract from fbcon: charcount is maintained under console_lock in\ncon_font_set() and fbcon_font_set(), and hi_font_mask is cleared when\nswitching from 512 to 256 glyphs. When stale screen data with high bits\nremains after a font switch, or when vcs_write() stores an arbitrary\nvalue, clamping the index to 0 prevents the out-of-bounds read without\nchanging cursor semantics — the same fallback bit_putcs uses."
    }
  ],
  "lastModified": "2026-08-25T06:18:42.897",
  "sourceIdentifier": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
}