hwmon: (coretemp) Fix core_data leak on CPUs without PTS (CVE-2026-90178) | HOL Guard CVE

Unknown severity · Source severity not reportedCVE-2026-90178

hwmon: (coretemp) Fix core_data leak on CPUs without PTS

Answer in brief

CVE-2026-90178 records a Unknown severity vulnerability in hwmon: (coretemp) Fix core_data leak on CPUs without PTS. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. The current feed maps Linux/Linux (generic), Linux/Linux (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Analysis pending evidence review

HOL Guard separates source facts from reviewed analysis. See the methodology.

Published Sep 17, 2026Updated Sep 17, 2026Source checked Sep 17, 2026First seen by HOL Sep 17, 2026Material review Sep 17, 2026

Upstream Advisory

Key facts

Risk: Unknown severitySource severity not reported
Exploitation: Not marked as known exploited
Affected software: 2 mapped packages or products
Fix availability: Available

Why this deserves its current priority

A CVSS score is not reported in the current record. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. Treat this as a source-backed prioritization signal, not a statement about your environment.

Analysis status

Analysis pending evidence review

Factual feed record only; HOL analysis is not approved for indexing. Read the methodology.

Affected scope and exposure questions

The current feed maps Linux/Linux (generic), Linux/Linux (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Mapped affected packages and fixed versions
Package	Affected range	Fixed version
Linux/Linuxgeneric	>=1a793caf6f6991716cb07583ed7c27de84ef0cba <dc0d79b1be384e7f6a2308356afd10dcf3bf940f \|\| >=1a793caf6f6991716cb07583ed7c27de84ef0cba <86c1617b7d4b001b20a71deda3c791538a4fa6aa \|\| >=1a793caf6f6991716cb07583ed7c27de84ef0cba <9b23a010a1e8232974617c412cb9f578f3378b70 \|\| >=1a793caf6f6991716cb07583ed7c27de84ef0cba <0cd8450c257faa0cece0e0c43d3b55d1a389acc7	dc0d79b1be384e7f6a2308356afd10dcf3bf940f, 86c1617b7d4b001b20a71deda3c791538a4fa6aa, 9b23a010a1e8232974617c412cb9f578f3378b70, 0cd8450c257faa0cece0e0c43d3b55d1a389acc7
Linux/Linuxgeneric	6.9	Not reported

Recommended response

Check inventory. Check lockfiles and deployed manifests for Linux/Linux, Linux/Linux.
Review the reported fix. Update Linux/Linux to dc0d79b1be384e7f6a2308356afd10dcf3bf940f if you use the affected versions. Test the change in a non-production environment first.

Evidence timeline and material changes

Published upstream
Sep 17, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:record
Source modified
Sep 17, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:record
First seen by HOL
Sep 17, 2026

Sources and claim methodology

Upstream source description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: hwmon: (coretemp) Fix core_data leak on CPUs without PTS pdata->core_data is allocated in init_temp_data() when the first core temp_data of a package is created, but it is only released from destroy_temp_data(), and only in the branch that handles the package temp_data. Package temp_data is created solely when the CPU supports X86_FEATURE_PTS. On a CPU without it, coretemp_cpu_online() never calls coretemp_add_core() with pkg_flag set, so pdata->pkg_data stays NULL. coretemp_cpu_offline() then skips the removal of the package interface, destroy_temp_data() is never called for package data, and the array is still allocated when coretemp_device_remove() frees the platform data that pointed at it. Release the array in coretemp_device_remove(). destroy_temp_data() sets pdata->core_data to NULL when it frees it, so the added kfree() is a no-op on CPUs that do have PTS. Tested on an Intel Core i5-1135G7. The driver was instrumented to log every allocation and release of pdata->core_data, and the PTS check in coretemp_cpu_online() was patched out to emulate a CPU without package thermal support. Without this change the array was allocated and never released, and coretemp_device_remove() still saw a non-NULL pointer. With it the array is released and the pointer accounting balances. On an unmodified build the release still happens via the package temp_data and the added kfree() sees NULL, with no slab warnings over repeated module load and unload cycles.

Quoted source text, attributed separately from HOL analysis.