# CVE-2026-46202: HID: appletb-kbd: run inactivity autodim from workqueues

> A Linux kernel bug in the Apple Touch Bar HID driver causes a kernel panic when sleeping functions are called from atomic contexts, leading to system crashes.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 28 May 2026
- **Updated:** 14 Jun 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-46202, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-46202, GHSA-w4g4-gf2v-88rm, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-46202

## What is CVE-2026-46202?

CVE-2026-46202 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 28 May 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

HID: appletb-kbd: run inactivity autodim from workqueues

The autodim code in hid-appletb-kbd takes backlight_device->ops_lock
via backlight_device_set_brightness() -> mutex_lock() from two
different atomic contexts:

 * appletb_inactivity_timer() is a struct timer_list callback, so it
   runs in softirq context.  Every expiry triggers

     BUG: sleeping function called from invalid context at kernel/locking/mutex.c:591
     Call Trace:
      <IRQ>
      __might_resched
      __mutex_lock
      backlight_device_set_brightness
      appletb_inactivity_timer
      call_timer_fn
      run_timer_softirq

 * reset_inactivity_timer() is called from appletb_kbd_hid_event() and
   appletb_kbd_inp_event().  On real USB hardware these run in
   softirq/IRQ context (URB completion and input-event dispatch).
   When the Touch Bar has already been dimmed or turned off, the
   reset path calls backlight_device_set_brightness() directly to
   restore brightness, producing the same warning.

Both call sites hit the same mutex_lock()-from-atomic bug.  Fix them
together by moving the blocking work onto the system workqueue:

 * Convert the inactivity timer from struct timer_list to
   struct delayed_work; the callback (appletb_inactivity_work) now
   runs in process context where mutex_lock() is legal.
 * Add a dedicated struct work_struct restore_brightness_work and have
   reset_inactivity_timer() schedule it instead of calling
   backlight_device_set_brightness() directly.

Cancel both works synchronously during driver tear-down alongside the
existing backlight reference drop.

The semantics are unchanged (same delays, same state transitions on
dim, turn-off and user activity); only the execution context of the
sleeping call changes.  The timer field and callback are renamed to
match their new type; reset_inactivity_timer() keeps its name because
it is invoked from input event paths that read naturally as "reset
the inactivity timer".

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-46202?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-46202?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-46202 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-46202 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-46202 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-46202 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 28 May 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-46202 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. 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-2026-46202/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-46202/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-46202
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-46202
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-46202

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-46202/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.