CVE-2026-89944 ASoC: hdac_hda: Fix hlink refcount leak on component registration failure
A refcount leak in the Linux kernel HDA audio driver can cause resource exhaustion and denial of service if component registration fails.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-89944?
CVE-2026-89944 is a denial of service vulnerability in Linux, published on 16 Sep 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:
ASoC: hdac_hda: Fix hlink refcount leak on component registration failure
hdac_hda_dev_probe() gets the HDA link with snd_hdac_ext_bus_link_get() before registering the ASoC component. If component registration fails, the function returns without dropping the link reference.
Always call snd_hdac_ext_bus_link_put() after the registration attempt so the reference taken during probe is balanced on both success and failure.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-89944?
How do I fix CVE-2026-89944?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade, then put limits on request size, rate and nesting depth so one client cannot exhaust the service. More about Denial of service.
Is CVE-2026-89944 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-89944 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as AZL-101238, BELL-CVE-2026-89944, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-89944, GHSA-4wgj-g6wx-2p76, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-89944.