# CVE-2026-64271: Input: touchwin - reset the packet index on every complete packet

> A malicious Touchwindow peripheral can trigger a heap out-of-bounds write in the Linux kernel touchwin driver, 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:** 25 Jul 2026
- **Updated:** 17 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-64271, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-64271, GHSA-v33c-vvwm-9mr7, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-64271, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-64271

## What is CVE-2026-64271?

CVE-2026-64271 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 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:

Input: touchwin - reset the packet index on every complete packet

tw_interrupt() accumulates each non-zero serial byte into a fixed
three-byte buffer with a running index that is only reset once a full
packet has been received *and* the device's two Y bytes agree:

	tw->data[tw->idx++] = data;
	if (tw->idx == TW_LENGTH && tw->data[1] == tw->data[2]) {
		...
		tw->idx = 0;
	}

The reset is gated on tw->data[1] == tw->data[2], a value the device
controls.  A malicious, malfunctioning or counterfeit Touchwindow
peripheral can stream non-zero bytes whose 2nd and 3rd bytes differ: the
index reaches TW_LENGTH without the equality holding, is never reset, and
keeps growing, so tw->data[tw->idx++] walks off the end of the three-byte
array and the rest of the heap-allocated struct tw, one attacker-chosen
byte at a time -- an unbounded, device-driven heap out-of-bounds write.

Reset the index on every completed packet and report an event only when
the two Y bytes match, like the other serio touchscreen drivers do.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-64271?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-64271?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-64271 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-64271 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-2026-64271 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-64271 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 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-2026-64271 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-2026-64271/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-64271/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64271
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-64271
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-64271

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-64271/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.