CVE-2026-97501
pinctrl: mediatek: paris: bypass pinctrl GPIO layer in set GPIO direction
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: pinctrl: mediatek: paris: bypass pinctrl GPIO layer in set GPIO direction pinctrl_gpio_direction_input() / pinctrl_gpio_direction_output() take the pinctrl mutex. This causes a gpiochip operations to need to sleep. Worse yet, the .can_sleep field in the gpiochip is not set. This causes the shared GPIO proxy to trip over, as it uses gpiod_cansleep() to check whether it can use a spinlock or needs a mutex. In this case, it ends up taking a spinlock, then calls pinctrl_gpio_direction_output(), which takes a mutex. This causes a huge warning. While this class of Mediatek hardware does not have separate clear/set registers, the pinctrl context has a spinlock that is taken whenever a register read-modify-write is done. Also, once the GPIO function is selected / muxed in, further GPIO operations do not involve pinctrl operations or state. The GPIO direction and level values do not require toggling the pinmux or any other pin config options. Switch to directly calling mtk_pinmux_gpio_set_direction() in the GPIO set direction callbacks to avoid taking the pinctrl mutex. Drop the .gpio_set_direction field in mtk_pmxops to signal we are no longer using the pinctrl GPIO layer for setting the direction.
INFO
Published Date :
Sept. 24, 2026, 5:17 p.m.
Last Modified :
Sept. 28, 2026, 6:16 a.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Solution
- Call mtk_pinmux_gpio_set_direction() directly for GPIO direction.
- Remove the .gpio_set_direction field from mtk_pmxops.
- Update relevant driver configurations.
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-2026-97501.
| URL | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/428b031dad390edd5da729b9afd474a95dc4f76b | |
| https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c87c9046c4e00d599454e033a477176c4d73ac2a |
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-97501 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-2026-97501
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-2026-97501 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-97501 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
Sep. 28, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Affected Affected value modified. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/97xxx/CVE-2026-97501.json">CVE-2026-97501</a> -
New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Sep. 24, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: pinctrl: mediatek: paris: bypass pinctrl GPIO layer in set GPIO direction pinctrl_gpio_direction_input() / pinctrl_gpio_direction_output() take the pinctrl mutex. This causes a gpiochip operations to need to sleep. Worse yet, the .can_sleep field in the gpiochip is not set. This causes the shared GPIO proxy to trip over, as it uses gpiod_cansleep() to check whether it can use a spinlock or needs a mutex. In this case, it ends up taking a spinlock, then calls pinctrl_gpio_direction_output(), which takes a mutex. This causes a huge warning. While this class of Mediatek hardware does not have separate clear/set registers, the pinctrl context has a spinlock that is taken whenever a register read-modify-write is done. Also, once the GPIO function is selected / muxed in, further GPIO operations do not involve pinctrl operations or state. The GPIO direction and level values do not require toggling the pinmux or any other pin config options. Switch to directly calling mtk_pinmux_gpio_set_direction() in the GPIO set direction callbacks to avoid taking the pinctrl mutex. Drop the .gpio_set_direction field in mtk_pmxops to signal we are no longer using the pinctrl GPIO layer for setting the direction. Added Affected New affected value received. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/97xxx/CVE-2026-97501.json">CVE-2026-97501</a> Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/428b031dad390edd5da729b9afd474a95dc4f76b Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c87c9046c4e00d599454e033a477176c4d73ac2a