# CVE-2026-98093: ASoC: fsl_micfil: balance mclk enable/disable

> A logic error in the Linux kernel's fsl_micfil driver causes clock reference leaks, potentially leading to denial of service by preventing clock gating.

- **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:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 25 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-98093, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98093, GHSA-c37f-rq9m-6c5r, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98093

## What is CVE-2026-98093?

CVE-2026-98093 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 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: fsl_micfil: balance mclk enable/disable

hw_params() enables mclk unconditionally and hw_free() disables it
unconditionally, but the PCM core does not guarantee 1:1 pairing:
hw_free() can run without hw_params(), and hw_params() can be called
multiple times from the SETUP state. This triggers an "already
disabled" WARN() in the first case and leaks an enable reference in
the second, leaving the clock ungateable.

Guard both sides with the existing mclk_flag, as fsl_sai.c does with
mclk_streams.

Weakness: CWE-404 (Improper Resource Shutdown or Release)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98093?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-98093?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-98093 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98093 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-2026-98093 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-98093 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Sep 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-2026-98093 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-2026-98093/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98093/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98093
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98093
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-98093

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98093/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.