# CVE-2026-80628: ALSA: seq: oss: Serialize readq reset state with q->lock

> A race condition in the Linux kernel ALSA OSS sequencer allows attackers to corrupt queue state, potentially causing denial of service or information disclosure.

- **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:** 28 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 21 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-98145, BELL-CVE-2026-80628, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-80628, GHSA-g7mq-rrq4-x494, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-80628

## What is CVE-2026-80628?

CVE-2026-80628 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux, published on 28 Aug 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:

ALSA: seq: oss: Serialize readq reset state with q->lock

snd_seq_oss_readq_clear() resets qlen, head, and tail without
q->lock even though the normal reader and producer paths serialize the
same ring state under that spinlock. A reset can therefore race
snd_seq_oss_readq_free() or snd_seq_oss_readq_put_event() and leave
stale records in the queue, drop freshly queued ones, or report the
wrong readiness after wakeup. KCSAN reports a data race between
snd_seq_oss_readq_clear() and snd_seq_oss_readq_free().

Take q->lock while clearing the ring and resetting input_time. Factor
the enqueue logic into a caller-locked helper so
snd_seq_oss_readq_put_timestamp() updates its suppression state under
the same lock instead of racing the reset path.

The buggy scenario involves two paths, with each column showing the
order within that path:

reset path:                      locked readq updater:
1. snd_seq_oss_reset() or        1. A reader or callback producer
   release reaches                  takes q->lock on the same queue.
   snd_seq_oss_readq_clear().
2. snd_seq_oss_readq_clear()     2. The updater tests or modifies
   resets qlen, head, tail,         qlen, head, and tail.
   and input_time.
3. snd_seq_oss_readq_clear()     3. The updater completes its
   wakes sleepers on                read-modify-write sequence.
   q->midi_sleep.
4. Without q->lock, the reset    4. The resulting ring state drives
   can overlap the locked           later reads and readiness.
   update.

KCSAN reports:

BUG: KCSAN: data-race in snd_seq_oss_readq_clear /
snd_seq_oss_readq_free

write to 0xffff8881069fe608 of 4 bytes by task 120516 on cpu 0:
  snd_seq_oss_readq_free+0x6c/0x80
  snd_seq_oss_read+0xcb/0x250
  odev_read+0x38/0x60
  vfs_read+0xff/0x600
  ksys_read+0xb4/0x140
  __x64_sys_read+0x46/0x60
  do_syscall_64+0xbb/0x2f0
  entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f

read to 0xffff8881069fe608 of 4 bytes by task 120517 on cpu 1:
  snd_seq_oss_readq_clear+0x1f/0x90
  snd_seq_oss_reset+0xa7/0xf0
  snd_seq_oss_ioctl+0x6f6/0x7e0
  odev_ioctl+0x56/0xc0
  __x64_sys_ioctl+0xd1/0x120
  do_syscall_64+0xbb/0x2f0
  entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f

value changed: 0x00000001 -> 0x00000000

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-80628?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-80628?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-80628 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-80628 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-80628 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-80628 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux, published on 28 Aug 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-2026-80628 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux. 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-2026-80628/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-80628/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-80628
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-80628
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-80628

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-80628/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.