CVE-2026-43401

Year

2026

Published

May 8, 2026

Known Affected Devices

CVSS Score

N/A

What is CVE-2026-43401?

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: cpufreq: intel_pstate: Fix NULL pointer dereference in update_cpu_qos_request() The update_cpu_qos_request() function attempts to initialize the 'freq' variable by dereferencing 'cpudata' before verifying if the 'policy' is valid. This issue occurs on systems booted with the "nosmt" parameter, where all_cpu_data[cpu] is NULL for the SMT sibling threads. As a result, any call to update_qos_requests() will result in a NULL pointer dereference as the code will attempt to access pstate.turbo_freq using the NULL cpudata pointer. Also, pstate.turbo_freq may be updated by intel_pstate_get_hwp_cap() after initializing the 'freq' variable, so it is better to defer the 'freq' until intel_pstate_get_hwp_cap() has been called. Fix this by deferring the 'freq' assignment until after the policy and driver_data have been validated. [ rjw: Added one paragraph to the changelog ]

FAQ

How severe is CVE-2026-43401?

CVE-2026-43401 has a CVSS score of N/A/10, rated as Unknown. Review the affected products list and apply vendor patches.

What does the CVSS score mean for CVE-2026-43401?

CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) rates vulnerability severity from 0.0 to 10.0. CVE-2026-43401 scores N/A/10 (Unknown). Scores 9.0–10.0 are Critical, 7.0–8.9 are High, 4.0–6.9 are Medium, and below 4.0 are Low.

Which devices are affected by CVE-2026-43401?

The list of devices confirmed to be affected by CVE-2026-43401 is shown in the "Affected Devices" section above. Check your firmware version against the vendor security advisory and apply the latest patch.

How do I fix or mitigate CVE-2026-43401?

Apply the latest firmware or software update from the vendor. Check the References section above for official advisories and patch notes. If no patch is available, consider disabling the affected feature or isolating the device from untrusted networks.