CVE-2026-63929

iio: buffer: Fix DMA fence leak in iio_buffer_enqueue_dmabuf()

Published Jul 19, 2026 CVSS 3.1 · 5.5 Medium EPSS < 1% KEV · Not listed
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

iio: buffer: Fix DMA fence leak in iio_buffer_enqueue_dmabuf()

iio_buffer_enqueue_dmabuf() allocates a struct iio_dma_fence (104 bytes,
kmalloc-128) via kmalloc_obj()+dma_fence_init(), which sets the initial
kref to 1. It then calls dma_resv_add_fence() which takes a second
reference (kref=2), and stores a raw pointer in block->fence.

On the success path the function returns without calling dma_fence_put()
to release the initial reference, so every buffer enqueue permanently
leaks one kmalloc-128 allocation.

The iio_buffer_cleanup() work item only releases the temporary reference
taken during completion signalling by iio_buffer_signal_dmabuf_done();
the initial reference from dma_fence_init() is never released.

With four iio_rwdev instances at 240kHz and 512 samples per buffer,
this produces ~1875 kmalloc-128 allocations per second matching the
observed slab growth exactly. A test with ftrace confirmed that the
dma_fence_destroy event was never triggered.

Fix by calling dma_fence_put() after dma_resv_add_fence(), transferring
ownership of the fence to the DMA reservation object. The DMA fence then
gets properly discarded after being signalled.

Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record

Tracking

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Advisories

Source ID Title
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-8593-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-8603-1 Linux kernel (Azure) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-8618-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-8663-1 Linux kernel (NVIDIA) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-8664-1 Linux kernel (NVIDIA BaseOS) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-8728-1 Linux kernel (GCP) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-8728-2 Linux kernel (Azure) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-8728-3 Linux kernel (Oracle) vulnerabilities
History
Type Values Removed Values Added
Weaknesses CWE-401
CPEs cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:*
Type Values Removed Values Added
Weaknesses CWE-401
Type Values Removed Values Added
Weaknesses CWE-401
Type Values Removed Values Added
Weaknesses CWE-772
References
Metrics threat_severity

None

cvssV3_1

{'score': 5.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}

threat_severity

Low

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: iio: buffer: Fix DMA fence leak in iio_buffer_enqueue_dmabuf() iio_buffer_enqueue_dmabuf() allocates a struct iio_dma_fence (104 bytes, kmalloc-128) via kmalloc_obj()+dma_fence_init(), which sets the initial kref to 1. It then calls dma_resv_add_fence() which takes a second reference (kref=2), and stores a raw pointer in block->fence. On the success path the function returns without calling dma_fence_put() to release the initial reference, so every buffer enqueue permanently leaks one kmalloc-128 allocation. The iio_buffer_cleanup() work item only releases the temporary reference taken during completion signalling by iio_buffer_signal_dmabuf_done(); the initial reference from dma_fence_init() is never released. With four iio_rwdev instances at 240kHz and 512 samples per buffer, this produces ~1875 kmalloc-128 allocations per second matching the observed slab growth exactly. A test with ftrace confirmed that the dma_fence_destroy event was never triggered. Fix by calling dma_fence_put() after dma_resv_add_fence(), transferring ownership of the fence to the DMA reservation object. The DMA fence then gets properly discarded after being signalled.
Title iio: buffer: Fix DMA fence leak in iio_buffer_enqueue_dmabuf()
First Time appeared Linux
Linux linux Kernel
CPEs cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Linux
Linux linux Kernel
References
Weaknesses

Sources

Status
PUBLISHED
Assigner
Linux
Published
Updated
Jul 19, 2026, 2:55 PM
Reserved
Jul 19, 2026, 7:54 AM
Status
Analyzed
Published
Jul 19, 2026, 4:17 PM
Modified
Oct 30, 2026, 2:29 PM
Severity
Low
Public date
Jul 19, 2026, 12:00 AM