CVE-2026-68213
media: rtl2832_sdr: Return queued buffers on start_streaming() failure
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: media: rtl2832_sdr: Return queued buffers on start_streaming() failure The vb2 framework hands buffers to the driver via buf_queue() before calling start_streaming(). If start_streaming() returns an error without first returning those buffers via vb2_buffer_done(), vb2_start_streaming() fires WARN_ON(owned_by_drv_count) and the queued buffers leak. rtl2832_sdr_start_streaming() had multiple error paths that hit this trap: two direct early returns (-ENODEV, -ERESTARTSYS), plus six `goto err` paths covering subdev s_power, tuner setup, ADC setup, stream-buffer allocation, urb allocation, and urb submission failures. None of them returned the queued buffers. The original function had no distinct success exit and fell straight through into the err label, which previously only did mutex_unlock and "return ret". Adding queued-buffer cleanup at err must therefore be paired with an explicit success return; otherwise every successful start would also drain the buffer queue and kill streaming. Add that success return, then add rtl2832_sdr_cleanup_queued_bufs() at the err label and before each early return. The cleanup helper takes a vb2_buffer_state argument so that the start_streaming error paths can pass VB2_BUF_STATE_QUEUED (as expected by userspace on start_streaming failure) while stop_streaming keeps its existing VB2_BUF_STATE_ERROR semantics. This mirrors the uvcvideo fix in commit 4cf3b6fd54eb ("media: uvcvideo: Return queued buffers on start_streaming() failure"). The err label still does not roll back power_ctrl(), frontend_ctrl(), the POWER_ON flag, or stream/URB allocations that may have happened before the failing step. Those are pre-existing leaks of a different class and are not addressed here.
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
- Apply the Linux kernel patch.
- Clean up queued buffers on error paths.
- Add explicit success return for streaming start.
- Use correct buffer state for cleanup.
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-2026-68213.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-68213 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-2026-68213
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-2026-68213 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-68213 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': '771138920eafa399f68d3492c8a75dfeea23474b', 'lessThan': '465dc8e71d2db2ed603e749fa71392bcdccf07eb', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '771138920eafa399f68d3492c8a75dfeea23474b', 'lessThan': '0b08c0403cf672a121ace4eff647a9b240bd4e1b', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '771138920eafa399f68d3492c8a75dfeea23474b', 'lessThan': '894e83509c66910112b9eaeaa8cd66cd9806db91', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '771138920eafa399f68d3492c8a75dfeea23474b', 'lessThan': 'fc0b18782aab4e35078efe72863df8eab46560a8', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '771138920eafa399f68d3492c8a75dfeea23474b', 'lessThan': '33ca0aab6f4bd90921fc1395478f38f72c4d19af', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/media/dvb-frontends/rtl2832_sdr.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '3.15'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '3.15', '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/dvb-frontends/rtl2832_sdr.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] [{'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '771138920eafa399f68d3492c8a75dfeea23474b', 'lessThan': '465dc8e71d2db2ed603e749fa71392bcdccf07eb', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '771138920eafa399f68d3492c8a75dfeea23474b', 'lessThan': '0b08c0403cf672a121ace4eff647a9b240bd4e1b', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '771138920eafa399f68d3492c8a75dfeea23474b', 'lessThan': '894e83509c66910112b9eaeaa8cd66cd9806db91', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '771138920eafa399f68d3492c8a75dfeea23474b', 'lessThan': 'fc0b18782aab4e35078efe72863df8eab46560a8', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '771138920eafa399f68d3492c8a75dfeea23474b', 'lessThan': '33ca0aab6f4bd90921fc1395478f38f72c4d19af', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/media/dvb-frontends/rtl2832_sdr.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '3.15'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '3.15', '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/dvb-frontends/rtl2832_sdr.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': '771138920eafa399f68d3492c8a75dfeea23474b', 'lessThan': '465dc8e71d2db2ed603e749fa71392bcdccf07eb', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '771138920eafa399f68d3492c8a75dfeea23474b', 'lessThan': '0b08c0403cf672a121ace4eff647a9b240bd4e1b', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '771138920eafa399f68d3492c8a75dfeea23474b', 'lessThan': '894e83509c66910112b9eaeaa8cd66cd9806db91', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '771138920eafa399f68d3492c8a75dfeea23474b', 'lessThan': 'fc0b18782aab4e35078efe72863df8eab46560a8', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '771138920eafa399f68d3492c8a75dfeea23474b', 'lessThan': '33ca0aab6f4bd90921fc1395478f38f72c4d19af', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/media/dvb-frontends/rtl2832_sdr.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '3.15'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '3.15', '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/dvb-frontends/rtl2832_sdr.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: media: rtl2832_sdr: Return queued buffers on start_streaming() failure The vb2 framework hands buffers to the driver via buf_queue() before calling start_streaming(). If start_streaming() returns an error without first returning those buffers via vb2_buffer_done(), vb2_start_streaming() fires WARN_ON(owned_by_drv_count) and the queued buffers leak. rtl2832_sdr_start_streaming() had multiple error paths that hit this trap: two direct early returns (-ENODEV, -ERESTARTSYS), plus six `goto err` paths covering subdev s_power, tuner setup, ADC setup, stream-buffer allocation, urb allocation, and urb submission failures. None of them returned the queued buffers. The original function had no distinct success exit and fell straight through into the err label, which previously only did mutex_unlock and "return ret". Adding queued-buffer cleanup at err must therefore be paired with an explicit success return; otherwise every successful start would also drain the buffer queue and kill streaming. Add that success return, then add rtl2832_sdr_cleanup_queued_bufs() at the err label and before each early return. The cleanup helper takes a vb2_buffer_state argument so that the start_streaming error paths can pass VB2_BUF_STATE_QUEUED (as expected by userspace on start_streaming failure) while stop_streaming keeps its existing VB2_BUF_STATE_ERROR semantics. This mirrors the uvcvideo fix in commit 4cf3b6fd54eb ("media: uvcvideo: Return queued buffers on start_streaming() failure"). The err label still does not roll back power_ctrl(), frontend_ctrl(), the POWER_ON flag, or stream/URB allocations that may have happened before the failing step. Those are pre-existing leaks of a different class and are not addressed here. Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0b08c0403cf672a121ace4eff647a9b240bd4e1b Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/33ca0aab6f4bd90921fc1395478f38f72c4d19af Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/465dc8e71d2db2ed603e749fa71392bcdccf07eb Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/894e83509c66910112b9eaeaa8cd66cd9806db91 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fc0b18782aab4e35078efe72863df8eab46560a8