Junglewise Threat Intelligence

CVE-2026-53386: Linux Kernel out-of-bounds access in ti-ads1298 ADC driver

CVE-2026-53386 · Severity: info · Published 2026-07-19

Technologies: Linux. Vendors: Linux.

Executive brief

A vulnerability was identified in the Linux kernel's driver for the Texas Instruments ADS1298 Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC). This component is typically used in medical instrumentation and high-precision data acquisition systems. An exploit could lead to an out-of-bounds memory access, potentially causing a system crash or unpredictable behavior in devices using this specific hardware.

Technical details

The vulnerability exists in the `ads1298_get_scale` function within `drivers/iio/adc/ti-ads1298.c`. The `ads1298_pga_settings` array contains 7 elements, but the `ADS1298_MASK_CH_PGA` bitmask can return values ranging from 0 to 7. When a value of 7 is encountered (a reserved bit pattern `b111`), the driver attempts to access the array out-of-bounds. This is a classic array index error that can lead to kernel memory corruption or a denial-of-service (kernel panic). The fix introduces a proper bounds check using `ARRAY_SIZE` and returns `-EINVAL` if the index is invalid.

Affected products

  • Linux Linux 6.12.95, 6.18.37, 7.0.14, 7.1.2, 7.2-rc1

Timeline

  • 2026-07-19: disclosed
  • 2026-07-19: advisory

References