CVE-2026-98740: EDAC/altera: Drop __init from ECC setup paths for re-probe safety

Published Oct 18, 2026

Updated

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

EDAC/altera: Drop init from ECC setup paths for re-probe safety

Sashiko reports:

"Does suppressing sysfs unbinding fully prevent the execution of freed init memory? If altrsysmgrregmaplookupbyphandle() returns -EPROBEDEFER, the probe is deferred until after init memory is freed."

The a10 EDAC .setup callbacks (sdmmc, ethernet, nand, dma, usb, qspi) and their helpers (altrinita10eccdevicetype, altrinita10eccblock) were marked init. These run from the probe path, which may execute after init memory is freed -- e.g. a probe deferred via -EPROBEDEFER that only succeeds once a late/module dependency appears, or a manual unbind/rebind. Calling init code then dereferences freed memory. Remove init so these functions remain valid at runtime.

Affected Software

1 affected component

Linux Linux kernel

Event History

Oct 18, 2026

CVE Published

via MITRE·03:47 PM

Data Sourced

via MITRE·03:47 PM

Description

Data Sourced

via NVD·04:17 PM

Description

Frequently Asked Questions

Which systems are exposed to this issue?

Systems using the Linux kernel's Altera Arria 10 EDAC driver are exposed when one of its ECC device setup paths is probed after kernel init memory has been freed. The affected setup callbacks cover SDMMC, Ethernet, NAND, DMA, USB, and QSPI ECC devices.

What condition triggers the vulnerability?

The affected driver must execute its probe path late, after init memory has been released. This can occur when a required dependency causes -EPROBE_DEFER and the probe succeeds later, or when a device is manually unbound and rebound.

What is the impact of a late or repeated probe?

The probe path can call functions marked __init after their memory has been freed, resulting in dereferencing freed memory. This can cause kernel instability or failure during device probing.

Is preventing sysfs unbinding sufficient mitigation?

No. Suppressing sysfs unbinding does not address deferred probing, which can also cause the affected setup code to run after init memory has been freed.

What change resolves the issue?

The fix removes the __init annotation from the Arria 10 ECC setup callbacks and their helpers so that the code remains available for runtime probes and re-probes.

CVE-2026-98740: EDAC/altera: Drop __init from ECC setup paths for re-probe safety

Affected Software

Event History

Frequently Asked Questions

Which systems are exposed to this issue?

What condition triggers the vulnerability?

What is the impact of a late or repeated probe?

Is preventing sysfs unbinding sufficient mitigation?

What change resolves the issue?

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which systems are exposed to this issue?

What condition triggers the vulnerability?

What is the impact of a late or repeated probe?

Is preventing sysfs unbinding sufficient mitigation?

What change resolves the issue?