HIGH
amdgpu Display Stream UAF
CVE-2026-31488
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
KernelScan AI7.8HIGH
01Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: drm/amd/display: Do not skip unrelated mode changes in DSC validation Starting with commit 17ce8a6907f7 ("drm/amd/display: Add dsc pre-validation in atomic check"), amdgpu resets the CRTC state mode_changed flag to false when recomputing the DSC configuration results in no timing change for a particular stream. However, this is incorrect in scenarios where a change in MST/DSC configuration happens in the same KMS commit as another (unrelated) mode change. For example, the integrated panel of a laptop may be configured differently (e.g., HDR enabled/disabled) depending on whether external screens are attached. In this case, plugging in external DP-MST screens may result in the mode_changed flag being dropped incorrectly for the integrated panel if its DSC configuration did not change during precomputation in pre_validate_dsc(). At this point, however, dm_update_crtc_state() has already created new streams for CRTCs with DSC-independent mode changes. In turn, amdgpu_dm_commit_streams() will never release the old stream, resulting in a memory leak. amdgpu_dm_atomic_commit_tail() will never acquire a reference to the new stream either, which manifests as a use-after-free when the stream gets disabled later on: BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in dc_stream_release+0x25/0x90 [amdgpu] Write of size 4 at addr ffff88813d836524 by task kworker/9:9/29977 Workqueue: events drm_mode_rmfb_work_fn Call Trace: <TASK> dump_stack_lvl+0x6e/0xa0 print_address_description.constprop.0+0x88/0x320 ? dc_stream_release+0x25/0x90 [amdgpu] print_report+0xfc/0x1ff ? srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 ? __virt_addr_valid+0x225/0x4e0 ? dc_stream_release+0x25/0x90 [amdgpu] kasan_report+0xe1/0x180 ? dc_stream_release+0x25/0x90 [amdgpu] kasan_check_range+0x125/0x200 dc_stream_release+0x25/0x90 [amdgpu] dc_state_destruct+0x14d/0x5c0 [amdgpu] dc_state_release.part.0+0x4e/0x130 [amdgpu] dm_atomic_destroy_state+0x3f/0x70 [amdgpu] drm_atomic_state_default_clear+0x8ee/0xf30 ? drm_mode_object_put.part.0+0xb1/0x130 __drm_atomic_state_free+0x15c/0x2d0 atomic_remove_fb+0x67e/0x980 Since there is no reliable way of figuring out whether a CRTC has unrelated mode changes pending at the time of DSC validation, remember the value of the mode_changed flag from before the point where a CRTC was marked as potentially affected by a change in DSC configuration. Reset the mode_changed flag to this earlier value instead in pre_validate_dsc(). (cherry picked from commit cc7c7121ae082b7b82891baa7280f1ff2608f22b)
02KernelScan AI Analysis
Risk summary
This vulnerability can cause system crashes or memory corruption when users connect or disconnect external displays on systems with AMD graphics. The use-after-free occurs during normal display management operations and could potentially be exploited by local users to cause denial of service or potentially escalate privileges through memory corruption.
Vulnerability analysis
Root Cause: The DSC validation code incorrectly resets the mode_changed flag to false when DSC configuration doesn't change timing, even when there are unrelated mode changes in the same atomic commit. This causes dm_update_crtc_state() to create new streams but amdgpu_dm_commit_streams() never releases old streams, leading to memory leaks and use-after-free when streams are later disabled.
Attack Surface: Local attack surface requiring physical access to trigger display configuration changes (e.g., plugging/unplugging external monitors on laptops with integrated panels). The vulnerability is triggered through normal KMS (Kernel Mode Setting) operations when DSC and non-DSC related display changes occur simultaneously.
Fix Mechanism: The patch preserves the original mode_changed flag value before DSC validation by storing it in a new field 'mode_changed_independent_from_dsc'. During pre_validate_dsc(), instead of unconditionally setting mode_changed to false, it restores the original value, ensuring unrelated mode changes are not lost.
03Fix Versions
| Branch | Fixed in | Patch commit |
|---|---|---|
| 6.1 | 6.1.175 | da1d0ed31e98 |
| 6.12 | 6.12.80 | 10862e344b4d |
| 6.18 | 6.18.21 | 8a5edc97fd9c |
| 6.19 | 6.19.11 | 111208b5b7eb |
| 6.6 | 6.6.140 | 21159d8b335a |
| mainline | 7.0 | aed3d041ab06 |