# CVE-2026-25068: alsa-lib 1.2.15.2 Topology Decoder Heap-based Buffer Overflow

> A heap-based buffer overflow in alsa-lib allows attackers to cause a denial of service via a crafted topology file.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.6 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 29 Jan 2026
- **Updated:** 25 May 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-75773, AZL-76295, BELL-CVE-2026-25068, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-25068, DLA-4469-1, ECHO-ec6a-fa2d-8cab, GHSA-x6vq-264g-8wcx, OESA-2026-1582, RHSA-2026:7401, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-25068, USN-8044-1, USN-8044-2

## What is CVE-2026-25068?

CVE-2026-25068 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in alsa-lib, published on 29 Jan 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

alsa-lib versions 1.2.2 up to and including 1.2.15.2, prior to commit 5f7fe33, contain a heap-based buffer overflow in the topology mixer control decoder. The tplg_decode_control_mixer1() function reads the num_channels field from untrusted .tplg data and uses it as a loop bound without validating it against the fixed-size channel array (SND_TPLG_MAX_CHAN). A crafted topology file with an excessive num_channels value can cause out-of-bounds heap writes, leading to a crash.

Weakness: CWE-129 (Improper Validation of Array Index)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-25068?


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `alsa-lib` | Red Hat:hummingbird:1 | All versions | 0:1.2.15.3-3.1.hum1 |
| `alsa-lib-devel` | Red Hat:hummingbird:1 | All versions | 0:1.2.15.3-3.1.hum1 |

## How do I fix CVE-2026-25068?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-25068 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-25068 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-25068 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-25068 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in alsa-lib, published on 29 Jan 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-25068 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: alsa-lib. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-25068/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-25068/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-25068
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-25068
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-25068

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-25068/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.