CVE-2026-31778: ALSA: caiaq: fix stack out-of-bounds read in init_card
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ALSA: caiaq: fix stack out-of-bounds read in initcard
The loop creates a whitespace-stripped copy of the card shortname where len < sizeof(card->id) is used for the bounds check. Since sizeof(card->id) is 16 and the local id buffer is also 16 bytes, writing 16 non-space characters fills the entire buffer, overwriting the terminating nullbyte.
When this non-null-terminated string is later passed to sndcardsetid() -> copyvalididstring(), the function scans forward with while (nid && ...) and reads past the end of the stack buffer, reading the contents of the stack.
A USB device with a product name containing many non-ASCII, non-space characters (e.g. multibyte UTF-8) will reliably trigger this as follows:
BUG: KASAN: stack-out-of-bounds in copyvalididstring sound/core/init.c:696 [inline] BUG: KASAN: stack-out-of-bounds in sndcardsetidnolock+0x698/0x74c sound/core/init.c:718
The off-by-one has been present since commit bafeee5b1f8d ("ALSA: sndusbcaiaq: give better shortname") from June 2009 (v2.6.31-rc1), which first introduced this whitespace-stripping loop. The original code never accounted for the null terminator when bounding the copy.
Fix this by changing the loop bound to sizeof(card->id) - 1, ensuring at least one byte remains as the null terminator.
Affected Software
Remediation
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2026-31778?
CVE-2026-31778 has a moderate severity level due to the potential for stack out-of-bounds read issues that can lead to information disclosure.
How do I fix CVE-2026-31778?
To resolve CVE-2026-31778, update the ALSA snd_usb_caiaq driver to the latest version that contains the patch for this vulnerability.
What systems are affected by CVE-2026-31778?
CVE-2026-31778 affects the Linux Kernel ALSA snd_usb_caiaq driver starting from version 2.6.31-rc1.
What is the potential impact of CVE-2026-31778?
The potential impact of CVE-2026-31778 includes unauthorized access to sensitive information due to the out-of-bounds read.
Is CVE-2026-31778 a remote attack vector?
No, CVE-2026-31778 is not a remote attack vector; it requires local access to exploit the vulnerability.