CVE-2026-80577: drm/panthor: skip zero-sized firmware sections
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
drm/panthor: skip zero-sized firmware sections
panthorfwloadsectionentry() skips BO creation when the firmware section VA range is empty. If such a section is added to the firmware section list, section->mem is left as NULL.
Later reload and unplug paths iterate over all firmware sections and dereference section->mem, which can lead to a NULL pointer dereference.
Zero-sized firmware sections are valid, so accept them as no-op entries but skip adding them to the section list.
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade
ubuntu/linux-hwe-7.0to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-42.42~24.04.1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-riscv-7.0to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-42.42.1~24.04.1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linuxto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-42.42 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-awsto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1016.17 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-gcpto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1016.18 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-ibmto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1017.17 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-oem-7.0to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1017.17 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-oracleto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1015.16 - Upgrade
Upgrade
ubuntu/linux-riscvto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-42.42.1 - Compensating control
Handle zero-sized firmware sections as no-op entries and skip adding them to the firmware section list, preventing later reload and unplug paths from dereferencing a NULL section->mem pointer.
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What conditions are required to trigger the NULL pointer dereference?
The Panthor driver must load firmware containing a valid zero-sized section. The empty section can be recorded with its memory pointer left NULL, and a later firmware reload or device-unplug path can dereference that pointer.
What is the impact of this issue?
The affected reload or unplug path can trigger a NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel. The provided information does not establish any further impact beyond this kernel fault condition.
How is the issue addressed?
The fix treats zero-sized firmware sections as no-op entries and does not add them to the firmware section list. This prevents later iteration paths from encountering a section whose memory pointer is NULL.