Junglewise Threat Intelligence

CVE-2026-46229: Linux Kernel AMD GPU driver stale data exposure in VRAM allocation

CVE-2026-46229 · Severity: info · CVSS 0 · Published 2026-05-28

Technologies: Linux Kernel. Vendors: Linux.

Executive brief

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's AMD GPU driver could allow users to see leftover data from previous tasks. This occurs because the system fails to properly clear video memory (VRAM) when it is reassigned to a new process. In practice, this can lead to application crashes or the exposure of sensitive information previously stored in the graphics memory.

Technical details

An information disclosure vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel's DRM driver for AMD GPUs (amdkfd). The KFD VRAM allocation path correctly sets the 'WIPE_ON_RELEASE' flag but fails to set the 'AMDGPU_GEM_CREATE_VRAM_CLEARED' flag. This omission allows compute kernels to observe stale data, including page table remnants, from prior allocations. The issue was identified due to protocol handshake corruption in RCCL P2P transport. The fix involves ensuring the VRAM_CLEARED flag is set during memory allocation in 'amdgpu_amdkfd_gpuvm_alloc_memory_of_gpu'.

Affected products

  • Linux Linux Kernel 6.1.y, 6.6.y, 6.8.y, 6.9.y

Timeline

  • 2026-04-10: other: Patch authored
  • 2026-05-28: disclosed: CVE published
  • 2026-05-28: advisory: NVD record published

References

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