ALSA: usb-audio: Cancel pending work at closing a MIDI substream

Kernel Updated 02 Oct 2025

Summary

28/06/2022

Disclosed on

N/A

Severity

No i

Fix available

Unrated

Severity

Not published

CVSS Score

GSD-2022-1002848: ALSA: usb-audio: Cancel pending work at closing a MIDI substream. Affects Kernel versions < 517dcef4d2dda0132648f1e4c079ed17bba4d1a4. No fix is published. How to fix ↓

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Background

The ALSA (Advanced Linux Sound Architecture) is a software framework and part of the Linux kernel that provides an API for sound card drivers. It allows applications to communicate with sound devices and provides various features for audio playback and recording. The usb-audio driver is a component of ALSA that enables USB audio devices to be used with the system. MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a protocol used for communication between musical instruments and computers. The usb-audio driver includes support for MIDI substreams, which are used for MIDI data transfer over USB connections. This vulnerability specifically affects the usb-audio driver's handling of MIDI substreams when closing them.

Vulnerability Detail

The vulnerability in the usb-audio driver allows an attacker to exploit a race condition when closing a MIDI substream, leading to a use-after-free vulnerability. By sending specially crafted MIDI messages to a vulnerable system, an attacker can trigger the race condition and potentially execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges. The impact of this vulnerability could be severe, as it allows an attacker to gain control over the affected system.

How To Fix

No fixed version is published for this vulnerability.

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Workaround

There is no known workaround for this vulnerability. It is recommended to apply the fix by updating the Linux Kernel to the latest version.

Conclusion

The ALSA usb-audio driver in the Linux Kernel is vulnerable to a use-after-free vulnerability when closing a MIDI substream. This vulnerability can be exploited by an attacker to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges. It is recommended to update the Linux Kernel to version v5.18.3 or later to fix this vulnerability. For further support on vulnerability remediation, please contact DevNack.com.

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