ALSA: pcm: Test for "silence" field in struct "pcm_format_data"

Kernel Updated 02 Oct 2025

Summary

24/04/2022

Disclosed on

N/A

Severity

No i

Fix available

Unrated

Severity

Not published

CVSS Score

GSD-2022-1002288: ALSA: pcm: Test for "silence" field in struct "pcm_format_data". Affects Kernel versions < eb04e3112a3516e483d60a9af9762961702a6c1b. 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 device drivers. It allows applications to communicate with sound cards and other audio devices. The PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) subsystem in ALSA handles digital audio data and provides an interface for audio playback and recording.

In the PCM subsystem, there is a struct called "pcm_format_data" which contains information about the audio format, such as sample rate, number of channels, and data format. One of the fields in this struct is "silence", which represents the value used to fill the audio buffer when there is no sound data available.

This vulnerability is related to how the "silence" field is tested in the PCM subsystem.

Vulnerability Detail

The vulnerability in the ALSA PCM subsystem allows an attacker to potentially manipulate the "silence" field in the "pcm_format_data" struct. By exploiting this vulnerability, an attacker could cause a denial-of-service (DoS) condition or potentially execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.

The impact and attack plausibility of this vulnerability have not been proven yet, but it is considered a potential security risk.

This vulnerability has been fixed in the Linux Kernel version v4.19.239 by commit eb04e3112a3516e483d60a9af9762961702a6c1b.

How To Fix

No fixed version is published for this vulnerability.

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Workaround

There is no specific workaround mentioned for this vulnerability.

Conclusion

The ALSA PCM subsystem vulnerability related to the "silence" field in the "pcm_format_data" struct can potentially lead to a denial-of-service (DoS) condition or arbitrary code execution. It is recommended to update the Linux Kernel to version v4.19.239 or later to mitigate this vulnerability. For further support on vulnerability remediation, you can contact DevNack.com.

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