# CVE-2026-53038: ima_fs: Correctly create securityfs files for unsupported hash algos
> A read out-of-bounds in the Linux kernel IMA subsystem can cause a crash when handling unsupported TPM hash algorithms.
- **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:** 24 Jun 2026
- **Updated:** 24 Jun 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-53038, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-53038, GHSA-h68q-3g2m-9w2f, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-53038
## What is CVE-2026-53038?
CVE-2026-53038 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 24 Jun 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:
ima_fs: Correctly create securityfs files for unsupported hash algos
ima_tpm_chip->allocated_banks[i].crypto_id is initialized to
HASH_ALGO__LAST if the TPM algorithm is not supported. However there
are places relying on the algorithm to be valid because it is accessed
by hash_algo_name[].
On 6.12.40 I observe the following read out-of-bounds in hash_algo_name:
==================================================================
BUG: KASAN: global-out-of-bounds in create_securityfs_measurement_lists+0x396/0x440
Read of size 8 at addr ffffffff83e18138 by task swapper/0/1
CPU: 4 UID: 0 PID: 1 Comm: swapper/0 Not tainted 6.12.40 #3
Call Trace:
dump_stack_lvl+0x61/0x90
print_report+0xc4/0x580
? kasan_addr_to_slab+0x26/0x80
? create_securityfs_measurement_lists+0x396/0x440
kasan_report+0xc2/0x100
? create_securityfs_measurement_lists+0x396/0x440
create_securityfs_measurement_lists+0x396/0x440
ima_fs_init+0xa3/0x300
ima_init+0x7d/0xd0
init_ima+0x28/0x100
do_one_initcall+0xa6/0x3e0
kernel_init_freeable+0x455/0x740
kernel_init+0x24/0x1d0
ret_from_fork+0x38/0x80
ret_from_fork_asm+0x11/0x20
The buggy address belongs to the variable:
hash_algo_name+0xb8/0x420
Memory state around the buggy address:
ffffffff83e18000: 00 01 f9 f9 f9 f9 f9 f9 00 01 f9 f9 f9 f9 f9 f9
ffffffff83e18080: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
>ffffffff83e18100: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 f9 f9 f9 f9 f9 00 05 f9 f9
^
ffffffff83e18180: f9 f9 f9 f9 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 04 f9 f9 f9 f9
ffffffff83e18200: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 04 f9 f9 f9 f9 f9 f9 f9
==================================================================
Seems like the TPM chip supports sha3_256, which isn't yet in
tpm_algorithms:
tpm tpm0: TPM with unsupported bank algorithm 0x0027
That's TPM_ALG_SHA3_256 == 0x0027 from "Trusted Platform Module 2.0
Library Part 2: Structures", page 51 [1].
See also the related U-Boot algorithms update [2].
Thus solve the problem by creating a file name with "_tpm_alg_"
postfix if the crypto algorithm isn't initialized.
This is how it looks on the test machine (patch ported to v6.12 release):
# ls -1 /sys/kernel/security/ima/
ascii_runtime_measurements
ascii_runtime_measurements_tpm_alg_27
ascii_runtime_measurements_sha1
ascii_runtime_measurements_sha256
binary_runtime_measurements
binary_runtime_measurements_tpm_alg_27
binary_runtime_measurements_sha1
binary_runtime_measurements_sha256
policy
runtime_measurements_count
violations
[1]: https://trustedcomputinggroup.org/wp-content/uploads/Trusted-Platform-Module-2.0-Library-Part-2-Version-184_pub.pdf
[2]: https://lists.denx.de/pipermail/u-boot/2024-July/558835.html
Weakness: CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read)
## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-53038?
It affects 1 product.
Products: Linux kernel.
## How do I fix CVE-2026-53038?
Apply the vendor's patch.
## Is CVE-2026-53038 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-53038 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-2026-53038 and fix it if it is affected.
What it is: CVE-2026-53038 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 24 Jun 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-2026-53038 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-2026-53038/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53038/index.md)
```
## Sources
- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-53038
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53038
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-53038
---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53038/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.