CVE-2026-80772 HID: nintendo: fix out-of-bounds read in joycon_ctlr_read_handler()

Q: Is CVE-2026-80772 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-80772 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Not scored Published 4 Sep 2026 Updated 19 Oct 2026

A malicious or spoofed Nintendo controller can trigger an out-of-bounds read in the Linux kernel HID driver, leaking internal memory to userspace.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Not needed
Attackable: Local or same network only
Victim action needed: A user has to click or open something
Fix: Available

What is CVE-2026-80772?

CVE-2026-80772 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 4 Sep 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

Official description

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

HID: nintendo: fix out-of-bounds read in joycon_ctlr_read_handler()

joycon_ctlr_read_handler() casts an incoming HID input report to struct joycon_input_report and parses it, guarding the cast only with a 12-byte length check:

if (size >= 12) /* make sure it contains the input report */ joycon_parse_report(ctlr, (struct joycon_input_report *)data);

struct joycon_input_report is 49 bytes: a 13-byte header followed by a union whose IMU arm is 36 bytes. For an IMU report joycon_parse_report() -> joycon_parse_imu_report() walks that union (struct offsets 13..48), so a report of exactly 12 bytes with data[0] == JC_INPUT_IMU_DATA passes the guard yet is read up to 37 bytes past its declared length. The over-read bytes are decoded into accelerometer/gyroscope values and forwarded to userspace through the "(IMU)" input device, leaking driver-internal memory. data[0] and size are fully controlled by a malicious or spoofed Joy-Con/Pro Controller.

Receive buffers are sized to the maximum report length, so this is an over-read within the allocation rather than a slab OOB, but the decoded bytes still reach userspace.

The sibling subcmd path in joycon_ctlr_handle_event() already bounds the same cast correctly:

if (size < sizeof(struct joycon_input_report) || data[0] != JC_INPUT_SUBCMD_REPLY) break;

Use the same sizeof(struct joycon_input_report) bound here.

Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-80772?

How do I fix CVE-2026-80772?

Apply the vendor's patch.

Is CVE-2026-80772 being exploited?