# CVE-2026-64191: i2c: stub: Reject I2C block transfers with invalid length

> A local attacker can trigger out-of-bounds memory access in the i2c-stub kernel module, potentially leading to code execution or privilege escalation.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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:** 20 Jul 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-64191, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-64191, GHSA-cc9h-5xhh-h7j7, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2026-64191, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-64191, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-64191

## What is CVE-2026-64191?

CVE-2026-64191 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 20 Jul 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:

i2c: stub: Reject I2C block transfers with invalid length

The I2C_SMBUS_I2C_BLOCK_DATA case in stub_xfer() uses data->block[0]
as the transfer length. The existing check only clamps it to avoid
overrunning the chip->words[256] register array, but does not validate
it against I2C_SMBUS_BLOCK_MAX (32), which is the limit of the union
i2c_smbus_data.block buffer (34 bytes total). The driver is a
development/test tool (CONFIG_I2C_STUB=m, not built by default)
that must be loaded with a chip_addr= parameter.

A local user with access to /dev/i2c-* can issue an I2C_SMBUS ioctl
with I2C_SMBUS_I2C_BLOCK_DATA and data->block[0] > 32, causing
stub_xfer() to read or write past the end of the union
i2c_smbus_data.block buffer:

 BUG: KASAN: stack-out-of-bounds in stub_xfer (drivers/i2c/i2c-stub.c:223)
 Read of size 1 at addr ffff88800abcfd92 by task exploit/81
 Call Trace:
  <TASK>
  stub_xfer (drivers/i2c/i2c-stub.c:223)
  __i2c_smbus_xfer (drivers/i2c/i2c-core-smbus.c:593)
  i2c_smbus_xfer (drivers/i2c/i2c-core-smbus.c:536)
  i2cdev_ioctl_smbus (drivers/i2c/i2c-dev.c:391)
  i2cdev_ioctl (drivers/i2c/i2c-dev.c:478)
  __x64_sys_ioctl (fs/ioctl.c:583)
  do_syscall_64 (arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:94)
  entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe (arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:130)
  </TASK>

The bug exists because i2c-stub implements .smbus_xfer directly,
bypassing the I2C_SMBUS_BLOCK_MAX validation in
i2c_smbus_xfer_emulated(). The I2C_SMBUS_BLOCK_DATA case in the same
function correctly validates against I2C_SMBUS_BLOCK_MAX, but the
I2C_SMBUS_I2C_BLOCK_DATA case does not.

Fix by rejecting transfers with data->block[0] == 0 or
data->block[0] > I2C_SMBUS_BLOCK_MAX with -EINVAL, consistent with
both the I2C_SMBUS_BLOCK_DATA case in the same function and the
I2C_SMBUS_I2C_BLOCK_DATA validation in i2c_smbus_xfer_emulated().

Weakness: CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read), CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-64191?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-64191?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-64191 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-64191 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-2026-64191 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-64191 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 20 Jul 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-2026-64191 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-2026-64191/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-64191/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64191
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-64191
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-64191

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-64191/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.