CVE-2026-63949
auxdisplay: line-display: fix OOB read on zero-length message_store()
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: auxdisplay: line-display: fix OOB read on zero-length message_store() linedisp_display() unconditionally reads msg[count - 1] before checking whether count is zero, so a write of zero bytes to the message sysfs attribute hits msg[-1]: write(fd, "", 0); -> message_store(..., buf, count=0) -> linedisp_display(linedisp, buf, count=0) -> msg[count - 1] == '\n' ; OOB read The kernfs write buffer for that store is a 1-byte allocation (kernfs_fop_write_iter() does kmalloc(len + 1) with len == 0), so msg[-1] is a 1-byte read before the slab object. On a KASAN-enabled kernel this trips an out-of-bounds report and panics; on stock kernels it silently reads adjacent slab data and, if that byte happens to be '\n', the following count-- wraps ssize_t 0 to -1 and is then passed to kmemdup_nul(). linedisp_display() is reached from the message_store() sysfs callback (drivers/auxdisplay/line-display.c message attribute, mode 0644) and from the in-tree initial-message setup with count == -1, so the OOB path is only userspace-triggerable via zero-byte writes; vfs_write() does not short-circuit on count == 0 and kernfs_fop_write_iter() dispatches the store callback regardless. Guard the trailing-newline trim with a count check. The existing if (!count) block then takes the clear-display path unchanged. Affects every auxdisplay driver that registers via linedisp_register() / linedisp_attach(): ht16k33, max6959, img-ascii-lcd, seg-led-gpio.
INFO
Published Date :
July 19, 2026, 4:17 p.m.
Last Modified :
July 27, 2026, 5:44 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Solution
- Apply the patch to the Linux kernel source code.
- Update the Linux kernel to a fixed version.
- Guard the trailing-newline trim with a count check.
- Ensure count is checked before accessing msg[count - 1].
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-2026-63949.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-63949 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-2026-63949
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-2026-63949 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-63949 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.
-
New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Jul. 19, 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': '7e76aece6f036cb7ada4858d6aa73825bfe22983', 'lessThan': 'ca5b0781946d5083ceafa752141f47f085853620', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '7e76aece6f036cb7ada4858d6aa73825bfe22983', 'lessThan': '8776032fe989a9b5fc77f2de5e03e4adb44c630e', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '7e76aece6f036cb7ada4858d6aa73825bfe22983', 'lessThan': '3859960daeb9b7b39b9847b5b0113bc6081eb735', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '7e76aece6f036cb7ada4858d6aa73825bfe22983', 'lessThan': '197476b126010bac1b3199833c6966cd6f54c2a9', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '7e76aece6f036cb7ada4858d6aa73825bfe22983', 'lessThan': '6ad4f75ef9f3372fce8cad494e789ac6a5507bef', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '7e76aece6f036cb7ada4858d6aa73825bfe22983', 'lessThan': 'a7511dcd9dd4bc55d123f9b800c8a4ed2662e5c6', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/auxdisplay/line-display.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '5.16'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '5.16', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.1.176', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.6.143', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.6.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.12.93', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.12.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.18.35', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.18.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.0.12', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.0.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/auxdisplay/line-display.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: auxdisplay: line-display: fix OOB read on zero-length message_store() linedisp_display() unconditionally reads msg[count - 1] before checking whether count is zero, so a write of zero bytes to the message sysfs attribute hits msg[-1]: write(fd, "", 0); -> message_store(..., buf, count=0) -> linedisp_display(linedisp, buf, count=0) -> msg[count - 1] == '\n' ; OOB read The kernfs write buffer for that store is a 1-byte allocation (kernfs_fop_write_iter() does kmalloc(len + 1) with len == 0), so msg[-1] is a 1-byte read before the slab object. On a KASAN-enabled kernel this trips an out-of-bounds report and panics; on stock kernels it silently reads adjacent slab data and, if that byte happens to be '\n', the following count-- wraps ssize_t 0 to -1 and is then passed to kmemdup_nul(). linedisp_display() is reached from the message_store() sysfs callback (drivers/auxdisplay/line-display.c message attribute, mode 0644) and from the in-tree initial-message setup with count == -1, so the OOB path is only userspace-triggerable via zero-byte writes; vfs_write() does not short-circuit on count == 0 and kernfs_fop_write_iter() dispatches the store callback regardless. Guard the trailing-newline trim with a count check. The existing if (!count) block then takes the clear-display path unchanged. Affects every auxdisplay driver that registers via linedisp_register() / linedisp_attach(): ht16k33, max6959, img-ascii-lcd, seg-led-gpio. Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/197476b126010bac1b3199833c6966cd6f54c2a9 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3859960daeb9b7b39b9847b5b0113bc6081eb735 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6ad4f75ef9f3372fce8cad494e789ac6a5507bef Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8776032fe989a9b5fc77f2de5e03e4adb44c630e Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a7511dcd9dd4bc55d123f9b800c8a4ed2662e5c6 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ca5b0781946d5083ceafa752141f47f085853620