Bug 2540463 (CVE-2026-97446)

Summary: CVE-2026-97446 kernel: ACPICA: Fix NULL pointer dereference in acpi_ns_custom_package()
Product: [Other] Security Response Reporter: OSIDB Bzimport <bzimport>
Component: vulnerabilityAssignee: Product Security DevOps Team <prodsec-dev>
Status: NEW --- QA Contact:
Severity: low Docs Contact:
Priority: low    
Version: unspecifiedCC: akhatavk, aos-team-art-private, asdas, dpaolell, jdelft, jupierce, lgarciaa, mbiarnes, ppalepu, ppostler, prdhamdh, rhel-process-autobot, sghai, sidsharm, suppawar, vlaad, watson-tool-maintainers
Target Milestone: ---Keywords: Security
Target Release: ---   
Hardware: All   
OS: Linux   
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Fixed In Version: Doc Type: ---
Doc Text:
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) component. When the system processes a malformed ACPI package provided by firmware with an unresolvable reference, the kernel dereferences a NULL pointer without prior validation. This issue leads to a kernel crash, resulting in a Denial of Service (DoS).
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oVirt Team: --- RHEL 7.3 requirements from Atomic Host:
Cloudforms Team: --- Target Upstream Version:
Embargoed:

Description OSIDB Bzimport 2026-09-24 16:55:09 UTC
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

ACPICA: Fix NULL pointer dereference in acpi_ns_custom_package()

acpi_ns_custom_package() unconditionally dereferences the first element
of the package to read the _BIX version number, without checking for
NULL:

    if ((*Elements)->Common.Type != ACPI_TYPE_INTEGER)

When firmware returns a _BIX package whose first element is an
unresolvable reference, ACPICA evaluates that entry to NULL.
acpi_ns_remove_null_elements() does not strip NULL entries for
ACPI_PTYPE_CUSTOM packages (fixed-position format would break if
elements were shifted), so acpi_ns_custom_package() sees the NULL
and causes a crash.

Add a NULL check for the first element (version field) before
dereferencing it. The caller then receives AE_AML_OPERAND_TYPE
instead of crashing.