CVE-2026-53164
iommu/dma: Do not try to iommu_map a 0 length region in swiotlb
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: iommu/dma: Do not try to iommu_map a 0 length region in swiotlb iommu_dma_iova_link_swiotlb() processes a mapping that is unaligned in three parts, the head, middle and trailer. If the middle is empty because there are no aligned pages it will call down to iommu_map() with a 0 size which the iommupt implementation will fail as illegal. It then tries to do an error unwind and starts from the wrong spot corrupting the mapping so the eventual destruction triggers a WARN_ON. Check for 0 length and avoid mapping and use offset not 0 as the starting point to unlink. This is frequently triggered by using some kinds of thunderbolt NVMe drives that trigger forced SWIOTLB for unaligned memory. NVMe seems to pass in oddly aligned buffers for the passthrough commands from smartctl that hit this condition.
INFO
Published Date :
June 25, 2026, 9:16 a.m.
Last Modified :
July 7, 2026, 6:14 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | MEDIUM | [email protected] |
Solution
- Update the Linux kernel to a patched version.
- Avoid mapping zero-length regions.
- Use offset for unlinking, not zero.
- Test with Thunderbolt NVMe drives.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-53164.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-53164 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-53164
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-53164 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-53164 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
-
Initial Analysis by [email protected]
Jul. 07, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Added CWE NVD-CWE-noinfo Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 6.19 up to (excluding) 7.0.13 *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc7:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 6.16 up to (excluding) 6.18.36 Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6ec91df8aff77e2e8fe3179c1f3fc15b43a40ba3 Types: Patch Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ab61c990a87d084f5565ee70340543e3a5394697 Types: Patch Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b16f8d40bac9ced838d24c9842707af9ecae92e2 Types: Patch -
New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Jun. 25, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Affected [{'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '433a76207dcf5facc0183acb790f6e8398585258', 'lessThan': 'ab61c990a87d084f5565ee70340543e3a5394697', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '433a76207dcf5facc0183acb790f6e8398585258', 'lessThan': 'b16f8d40bac9ced838d24c9842707af9ecae92e2', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '433a76207dcf5facc0183acb790f6e8398585258', 'lessThan': '6ec91df8aff77e2e8fe3179c1f3fc15b43a40ba3', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/iommu/dma-iommu.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '6.16'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '6.16', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.18.36', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.18.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.0.13', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.0.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/iommu/dma-iommu.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: iommu/dma: Do not try to iommu_map a 0 length region in swiotlb iommu_dma_iova_link_swiotlb() processes a mapping that is unaligned in three parts, the head, middle and trailer. If the middle is empty because there are no aligned pages it will call down to iommu_map() with a 0 size which the iommupt implementation will fail as illegal. It then tries to do an error unwind and starts from the wrong spot corrupting the mapping so the eventual destruction triggers a WARN_ON. Check for 0 length and avoid mapping and use offset not 0 as the starting point to unlink. This is frequently triggered by using some kinds of thunderbolt NVMe drives that trigger forced SWIOTLB for unaligned memory. NVMe seems to pass in oddly aligned buffers for the passthrough commands from smartctl that hit this condition. Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6ec91df8aff77e2e8fe3179c1f3fc15b43a40ba3 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ab61c990a87d084f5565ee70340543e3a5394697 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b16f8d40bac9ced838d24c9842707af9ecae92e2