CVE-2026-68206
media: v4l2-ctrls: validate HEVC active reference counts
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: media: v4l2-ctrls: validate HEVC active reference counts HEVC slice parameters are shared stateless V4L2 controls, but the common validation path does not verify the active L0/L1 reference counts before driver-specific code consumes them. The original report came from Cedrus, but the active count bounds are not Cedrus-specific. Validate them in the common HEVC slice control path so stateless HEVC drivers get the same basic guarantees as soon as the control is queued. Do not reject ref_idx_l0/ref_idx_l1 entries here. Existing userspace may use out-of-range sentinel values such as 0xff for missing references, and some hardware can use that information for concealment. Keep this common check limited to the active reference counts.
INFO
Published Date :
Aug. 10, 2026, 1:20 p.m.
Last Modified :
Aug. 17, 2026, 5:18 a.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 |
Solution
- Update the Linux kernel to include the patch for v4l2-ctrls.
- Validate active L0/L1 reference counts before driver-specific code.
- Apply common validation to stateless HEVC drivers.
- Limit common check to active reference counts.
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-2026-68206.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-68206 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-2026-68206
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-2026-68206 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-68206 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.
-
CVE Modified by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Aug. 17, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Changed Affected [{'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': 'd395a78db9eabd12633b39e05c80e803543b6590', 'lessThan': '9a998cc1c348769262d433acb7d238c5fac4b2e0', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'd395a78db9eabd12633b39e05c80e803543b6590', 'lessThan': 'dbaf0e0023e2f9332c5164822def7f80b7d2c5ef', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'd395a78db9eabd12633b39e05c80e803543b6590', 'lessThan': '3068ab802fc98b121dcb451e1f7f4d338ffc7a19', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'd395a78db9eabd12633b39e05c80e803543b6590', 'lessThan': 'b01df98a6669d2b67d8aed816021b327fd905998', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'd395a78db9eabd12633b39e05c80e803543b6590', 'lessThan': 'afbe4bc252d90a6f8fad869b06d5430f615f22f9', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/media/v4l2-core/v4l2-ctrls-core.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '5.14'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '5.14', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.6.148', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.6.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.12.101', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.12.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.18.42', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.18.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1.6', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.2-rc1', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/media/v4l2-core/v4l2-ctrls-core.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] [{'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': 'd395a78db9eabd12633b39e05c80e803543b6590', 'lessThan': '9a998cc1c348769262d433acb7d238c5fac4b2e0', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'd395a78db9eabd12633b39e05c80e803543b6590', 'lessThan': 'dbaf0e0023e2f9332c5164822def7f80b7d2c5ef', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'd395a78db9eabd12633b39e05c80e803543b6590', 'lessThan': '3068ab802fc98b121dcb451e1f7f4d338ffc7a19', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'd395a78db9eabd12633b39e05c80e803543b6590', 'lessThan': 'b01df98a6669d2b67d8aed816021b327fd905998', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'd395a78db9eabd12633b39e05c80e803543b6590', 'lessThan': 'afbe4bc252d90a6f8fad869b06d5430f615f22f9', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/media/v4l2-core/v4l2-ctrls-core.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '5.14'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '5.14', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.6.148', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.6.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.12.101', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.12.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.18.42', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.18.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1.6', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.2', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/media/v4l2-core/v4l2-ctrls-core.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] -
CVE Modified by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Aug. 13, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H -
New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Aug. 10, 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': 'd395a78db9eabd12633b39e05c80e803543b6590', 'lessThan': '9a998cc1c348769262d433acb7d238c5fac4b2e0', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'd395a78db9eabd12633b39e05c80e803543b6590', 'lessThan': 'dbaf0e0023e2f9332c5164822def7f80b7d2c5ef', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'd395a78db9eabd12633b39e05c80e803543b6590', 'lessThan': '3068ab802fc98b121dcb451e1f7f4d338ffc7a19', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'd395a78db9eabd12633b39e05c80e803543b6590', 'lessThan': 'b01df98a6669d2b67d8aed816021b327fd905998', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'd395a78db9eabd12633b39e05c80e803543b6590', 'lessThan': 'afbe4bc252d90a6f8fad869b06d5430f615f22f9', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/media/v4l2-core/v4l2-ctrls-core.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '5.14'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '5.14', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.6.148', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.6.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.12.101', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.12.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.18.42', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.18.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1.6', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.2-rc1', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/media/v4l2-core/v4l2-ctrls-core.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: media: v4l2-ctrls: validate HEVC active reference counts HEVC slice parameters are shared stateless V4L2 controls, but the common validation path does not verify the active L0/L1 reference counts before driver-specific code consumes them. The original report came from Cedrus, but the active count bounds are not Cedrus-specific. Validate them in the common HEVC slice control path so stateless HEVC drivers get the same basic guarantees as soon as the control is queued. Do not reject ref_idx_l0/ref_idx_l1 entries here. Existing userspace may use out-of-range sentinel values such as 0xff for missing references, and some hardware can use that information for concealment. Keep this common check limited to the active reference counts. Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3068ab802fc98b121dcb451e1f7f4d338ffc7a19 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9a998cc1c348769262d433acb7d238c5fac4b2e0 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/afbe4bc252d90a6f8fad869b06d5430f615f22f9 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b01df98a6669d2b67d8aed816021b327fd905998 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/dbaf0e0023e2f9332c5164822def7f80b7d2c5ef