CVE-2026-68206: media: v4l2-ctrls: validate HEVC active reference counts
Noroxi assessment
Priority: Monitor (action score 31/100)
- The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
- Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.17% (FIRST EPSS).
- Someone with local access to the system can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
- Fixed version: Linux Linux 3068ab802fc98b121dcb451e1f7f4d338ffc7a19, 3299c3905f3fb439ebd892658b87bc76c93ae116, 9a998cc1c348769262d433acb7d238c5fac4b2e0; azl3 kernel 6.6.143.1-1 on Azure Linux 3.0 6.6.150.1-1.
- Mentioned 1 time in Turkish national cyber security advisories (siberguvenlik.gov.tr).
Low priority for now. Upgrade to Linux Linux 3068ab802fc98b121dcb451e1f7f4d338ffc7a19, 3299c3905f3fb439ebd892658b87bc76c93ae116, 9a998cc1c348769262d433acb7d238c5fac4b2e0; azl3 kernel 6.6.143.1-1 on Azure Linux 3.0 6.6.150.1-1 or later.
Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it
Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: media: v4l2-ctrls: validate HEVC active reference counts HEVC slice parameters are shared stateless V4L2 controls, but the common validation path does not verify the active L0/L1 reference counts before driver-specific code consumes them. The original report came from Cedrus, but the active count bounds are not Cedrus-specific. Validate them in the common HEVC slice control path so stateless HEVC drivers get the same basic guarantees as soon as the control is queued. Do not reject ref_idx_l0/ref_idx_l1 entries here. Existing userspace may use out-of-range sentinel values such as 0xff for missing references, and some hardware can use that information for concealment. Keep this common check limited to the active reference counts.
- Published
- Aug 10, 2026
- Updated
- Oct 19, 2026
- EPSS
- 0.1% · 7th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-20
Report tools
Action score
31
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 31 / 40 · 7.8 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 0.1%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- no
- Technical impact
- total
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- —
- CNA · Linux
- 7.8
- NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.
The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.
Get told when this record changes
- Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
- No public exploit code on record
- A fix has been released
If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.
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Noroxi analysis
What does it mean in your environment?
The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
Is your version affected?
Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.
—
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (Linux). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
Linux Linux
- 5.14affected
- d395a78db9eabd12633b39e05c80e803543b6590 and later · before 3299c3905f3fb439ebd892658b87bc76c93ae116affected · git
- d395a78db9eabd12633b39e05c80e803543b6590 and later · before 9a998cc1c348769262d433acb7d238c5fac4b2e0affected · git
- d395a78db9eabd12633b39e05c80e803543b6590 and later · before dbaf0e0023e2f9332c5164822def7f80b7d2c5efaffected · git
- d395a78db9eabd12633b39e05c80e803543b6590 and later · before 3068ab802fc98b121dcb451e1f7f4d338ffc7a19affected · git
- d395a78db9eabd12633b39e05c80e803543b6590 and later · before b01df98a6669d2b67d8aed816021b327fd905998affected · git
- d395a78db9eabd12633b39e05c80e803543b6590 and later · before afbe4bc252d90a6f8fad869b06d5430f615f22f9affected · git
- before 5.14not affected · semver
- 6.1.183 and later · up to and including 6.1.*not affected · semver
- 6.6.148 and later · up to and including 6.6.*not affected · semver
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | linux | before 6.1.187-1 | 6.1.187-1 |
| Debian:12 | linux-6.12 | before 6.12.101-1~deb12u1 | 6.12.101-1~deb12u1 |
| Debian:13 | linux | before 6.12.101-1 | 6.12.101-1 |
| Debian:14 | linux | before 7.1.6-1 | 7.1.6-1 |
Same product
linux: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2026-74705udp: fix potential use-after-free in tunnel segmentation40Plan
- CVE-2026-74612veth: fix skb length accounting after XDP frag adjustment40Plan
- CVE-2026-74475vxlan: use neigh_ha_snapshot() in route_shortcircuit()40Plan
Published before and after this one in the same product
- ← EarlierCVE-2026-68203Aug 10, 2026 · media: vivid: fix cleanup bugs in vivid_init()0Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2026-68205Aug 10, 2026 · media: v4l2-fwnode: Fix subdev owner overwritten in v4l2_async_register_subdev_sensor()0Monitor
- Later →CVE-2026-68211Aug 10, 2026 · media: stm32-dcmipp: Return queued buffers on start_streaming() failure0Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Linux Linux | 3068ab802fc98b121dcb451e1f7f4d338ffc7a19 | Vendor (CNA) |
| Linux Linux | 3299c3905f3fb439ebd892658b87bc76c93ae116 | Vendor (CNA) |
| Linux Linux | 9a998cc1c348769262d433acb7d238c5fac4b2e0 | Vendor (CNA) |
| Linux Linux | afbe4bc252d90a6f8fad869b06d5430f615f22f9 | Vendor (CNA) |
| Linux Linux | b01df98a6669d2b67d8aed816021b327fd905998 | Vendor (CNA) |
| Linux Linux | dbaf0e0023e2f9332c5164822def7f80b7d2c5ef | Vendor (CNA) |
| azl3 kernel 6.6.143.1-1 on Azure Linux 3.0 | 6.6.150.1-1 · CBL-Mariner Releases | Microsoft (MSRC) |
| debian:linux | 6.1.187-1 · Debian:12 | Package registry (OSV) |
| debian:linux-6.12 | 6.12.101-1~deb12u1 · Debian:12 | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
- CVE-2026-681540 days apartlibceph: reject zero bucket types in crush_decode39Monitor
- CVE-2026-684775 days apartipvs: fix more places with wrong ipv6 transport offsets39Monitor
- CVE-2026-720655 days apartnet: mana: Validate the packet length reported by the NIC39Monitor
- CVE-2026-9999966 days apartipv4: validate checksum_start before completing checksum37Monitor
- CVE-2026-681990 days apartwifi: ath6kl: fix OOB access from firmware ADDBA window size35Monitor
- CVE-2026-684543 days apartKVM: s390: pci: Fix handling of AIF enable without AISB35Monitor
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
National notice (Türkiye Cybersecurity Directorate / USOM)
Official security notices citing this record; remediation advice is on the agency's page.
- TR-26-0800 · Aug 11, 2026(Linux Kernel Güvenlik Bildirimi)
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
- A low-privileged account is enough.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- high · data can be read
- Integrity
- high · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- high · the service can be disrupted
- Attack vector
- Local
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-20 · Improper Input ValidationCVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvd-secondary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
- Buffer Overflow via Environment VariablesCAPEC-10likelihood: High · High
- Server Side Include (SSI) InjectionCAPEC-101likelihood: High · High
- Cross Zone ScriptingCAPEC-104likelihood: Medium · High
- Command Line Execution through SQL InjectionCAPEC-108likelihood: Low · Very High
- Object Relational Mapping InjectionCAPEC-109likelihood: Low · High
- SQL Injection through SOAP Parameter TamperingCAPEC-110likelihood: High · Very High
- Double EncodingCAPEC-120likelihood: Low · Medium
- Subverting Environment Variable ValuesCAPEC-13likelihood: High · Very High
ATT&CK techniques
- Obfuscated Files or InformationT1027
- Masquerading: Invalid Code SignatureT1036.001
- Steal Web Session CookieT1539
- Subvert Trust Controls: Code SigningT1553.002
- Impair Defenses:Impair Command History LoggingT1562.003
- Hijack Execution Flow:Dynamic Linker HijackingT1574.006
- Hijack Execution Flow:Path Interception by PATH Environment VariableT1574.007
Change log
- SSVC exploitation— → none
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
Show all references (5 more)Show less
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/3299c3905f3fb439ebd892658b87bc76c93ae116
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/9a998cc1c348769262d433acb7d238c5fac4b2e0
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/afbe4bc252d90a6f8fad869b06d5430f615f22f9
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/b01df98a6669d2b67d8aed816021b327fd905998
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/dbaf0e0023e2f9332c5164822def7f80b7d2c5ef
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.