serial: core: fix infinite loop in handle_tx() for PORT_UNKNOWN
CVE-2026-23472 is fixed in 33 products on 1 platform, first by DEBIAN-CVE-2026-23472, released April 3, 2026. It is not reported as exploited. Patch Radar priority: Routine.
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: serial: core: fix infinite loop in handle_tx() for PORT_UNKNOWN uart_write_room() and uart_write() behave inconsistently when xmit_buf is NULL (which happens for PORT_UNKNOWN ports that were never properly initialized): - uart_write_room() returns kfifo_avail() which can be > 0 - uart_write() checks xmit_buf and returns 0 if NULL This inconsistency causes an infinite loop in drivers that rely on tty_write_room() to determine if they can write: while (tty_write_room(tty) > 0) { written = tty->ops->write(...); // written is always 0, loop never exits } For example, caif_serial's handle_tx() enters an infinite loop when used with PORT_UNKNOWN serial ports, causing system hangs. Fix by making uart_write_room() also check xmit_buf and return 0 if it's NULL, consistent with uart_write(). Reproducer: https://gist.github.com/mrpre/d9a694cc0e19828ee3bc3b37983fde13
Where it's fixed
| Product | Fixed in | Fix | Released |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | |||
| bpftool6.18 · amzn 2023 | 1:6.18.20-20.229.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1596 | Apr 27, 2026 |
| bpftool6.18-debuginfo · amzn 2023 | 1:6.18.20-20.229.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1596 | Apr 27, 2026 |
| kernel-64kb · sles 15.7 | 6.4.0-150700.53.55.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:2238-1 | Jun 30, 2026 |
| kernel-azure · sles 15.7 | 6.4.0-150700.53.55.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:2238-1 | Jun 30, 2026 |
| kernel-default · sles 15.7 | 6.4.0-150700.53.55.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:2238-1 | Jun 30, 2026 |
| kernel-default-base · sles 15.7 | 6.4.0-150700.53.55.1.150700.17.33.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:2238-1 | Jun 30, 2026 |
| kernel-docs · sles 15.7 | 6.4.0-150700.53.55.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:2238-1 | Jun 30, 2026 |
| kernel-livepatch-6.18.20-20.229 · amzn 2023 | 1:1.0-0.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1596 | Apr 27, 2026 |
| kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP7_Update_15 · sles 15.7 | 1-150700.15.3.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:2238-1 | Jun 30, 2026 |
| kernel-obs-build · sles 15.7 | 6.4.0-150700.53.55.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:2238-1 | Jun 30, 2026 |
| kernel-source · sles 15.7 | 6.4.0-150700.53.55.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:2238-1 | Jun 30, 2026 |
| kernel-syms · sles 15.7 | 6.4.0-150700.53.55.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:2238-1 | Jun 30, 2026 |
| kernel-zfcpdump · sles 15.7 | 6.4.0-150700.53.55.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:2238-1 | Jun 30, 2026 |
| kernel6.18 · amzn 2023 | 1:6.18.20-20.229.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1596 | Apr 27, 2026 |
| kernel6.18-debuginfo · amzn 2023 | 1:6.18.20-20.229.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1596 | Apr 27, 2026 |
| kernel6.18-debuginfo-common-aarch64 · amzn 2023 | 1:6.18.20-20.229.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1596 | Apr 27, 2026 |
| kernel6.18-debuginfo-common-x86_64 · amzn 2023 | 1:6.18.20-20.229.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1596 | Apr 27, 2026 |
| kernel6.18-devel · amzn 2023 | 1:6.18.20-20.229.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1596 | Apr 27, 2026 |
| kernel6.18-headers · amzn 2023 | 1:6.18.20-20.229.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1596 | Apr 27, 2026 |
| kernel6.18-libbpf · amzn 2023 | 1:6.18.20-20.229.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1596 | Apr 27, 2026 |
| kernel6.18-libbpf-debuginfo · amzn 2023 | 1:6.18.20-20.229.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1596 | Apr 27, 2026 |
| kernel6.18-libbpf-devel · amzn 2023 | 1:6.18.20-20.229.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1596 | Apr 27, 2026 |
| kernel6.18-libbpf-static · amzn 2023 | 1:6.18.20-20.229.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1596 | Apr 27, 2026 |
| kernel6.18-modules-extra · amzn 2023 | 1:6.18.20-20.229.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1596 | Apr 27, 2026 |
| kernel6.18-modules-extra-common · amzn 2023 | 1:6.18.20-20.229.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1596 | Apr 27, 2026 |
| kernel6.18-tools · amzn 2023 | 1:6.18.20-20.229.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1596 | Apr 27, 2026 |
| kernel6.18-tools-debuginfo · amzn 2023 | 1:6.18.20-20.229.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1596 | Apr 27, 2026 |
| kernel6.18-tools-devel · amzn 2023 | 1:6.18.20-20.229.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1596 | Apr 27, 2026 |
| linux · Debian 13.5 (trixie) | 6.12.115-2 | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-23472 | Apr 3, 2026 |
| linux · Debian 14 | 6.19.10-1 | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-23472 | Apr 3, 2026 |
| perf6.18 · amzn 2023 | 1:6.18.20-20.229.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1596 | Apr 27, 2026 |
| perf6.18-debuginfo · amzn 2023 | 1:6.18.20-20.229.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1596 | Apr 27, 2026 |
| python3-perf6.18 · amzn 2023 | 1:6.18.20-20.229.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1596 | Apr 27, 2026 |
| python3-perf6.18-debuginfo · amzn 2023 | 1:6.18.20-20.229.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1596 | Apr 27, 2026 |
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