In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
hwmon: (coretemp) Fix core_data leak on CPUs without PTS
pdata->core_data is allocated in init_temp_data() when the first core
temp_data of a package is created, but it is only released from
destroy_temp_data(), and only in the branch that handles the package
temp_data.
Package temp_data is created solely when the CPU supports
X86_FEATURE_PTS. On a CPU without it, coretemp_cpu_online() never calls
coretemp_add_core() with pkg_flag set, so pdata->pkg_data stays NULL.
coretemp_cpu_offline() then skips the removal of the package interface,
destroy_temp_data() is never called for package data, and the array is
still allocated when coretemp_device_remove() frees the platform data
that pointed at it.
Release the array in coretemp_device_remove(). destroy_temp_data() sets
pdata->core_data to NULL when it frees it, so the added kfree() is a
no-op on CPUs that do have PTS.
Tested on an Intel Core i5-1135G7. The driver was instrumented to log
every allocation and release of pdata->core_data, and the PTS check in
coretemp_cpu_online() was patched out to emulate a CPU without package
thermal support. Without this change the array was allocated and never
released, and coretemp_device_remove() still saw a non-NULL pointer.
With it the array is released and the pointer accounting balances. On an
unmodified build the release still happens via the package temp_data and
the added kfree() sees NULL, with no slab warnings over repeated module
load and unload cycles.
hwmon: (coretemp) Fix core_data leak on CPUs without PTS
pdata->core_data is allocated in init_temp_data() when the first core
temp_data of a package is created, but it is only released from
destroy_temp_data(), and only in the branch that handles the package
temp_data.
Package temp_data is created solely when the CPU supports
X86_FEATURE_PTS. On a CPU without it, coretemp_cpu_online() never calls
coretemp_add_core() with pkg_flag set, so pdata->pkg_data stays NULL.
coretemp_cpu_offline() then skips the removal of the package interface,
destroy_temp_data() is never called for package data, and the array is
still allocated when coretemp_device_remove() frees the platform data
that pointed at it.
Release the array in coretemp_device_remove(). destroy_temp_data() sets
pdata->core_data to NULL when it frees it, so the added kfree() is a
no-op on CPUs that do have PTS.
Tested on an Intel Core i5-1135G7. The driver was instrumented to log
every allocation and release of pdata->core_data, and the PTS check in
coretemp_cpu_online() was patched out to emulate a CPU without package
thermal support. Without this change the array was allocated and never
released, and coretemp_device_remove() still saw a non-NULL pointer.
With it the array is released and the pointer accounting balances. On an
unmodified build the release still happens via the package temp_data and
the added kfree() sees NULL, with no slab warnings over repeated module
load and unload cycles.
Metrics
Affected Vendors & Products
Advisories
No advisories yet.
Fixes
Solution
No solution given by the vendor.
Workaround
No workaround given by the vendor.
References
History
Thu, 17 Sep 2026 16:30:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: hwmon: (coretemp) Fix core_data leak on CPUs without PTS pdata->core_data is allocated in init_temp_data() when the first core temp_data of a package is created, but it is only released from destroy_temp_data(), and only in the branch that handles the package temp_data. Package temp_data is created solely when the CPU supports X86_FEATURE_PTS. On a CPU without it, coretemp_cpu_online() never calls coretemp_add_core() with pkg_flag set, so pdata->pkg_data stays NULL. coretemp_cpu_offline() then skips the removal of the package interface, destroy_temp_data() is never called for package data, and the array is still allocated when coretemp_device_remove() frees the platform data that pointed at it. Release the array in coretemp_device_remove(). destroy_temp_data() sets pdata->core_data to NULL when it frees it, so the added kfree() is a no-op on CPUs that do have PTS. Tested on an Intel Core i5-1135G7. The driver was instrumented to log every allocation and release of pdata->core_data, and the PTS check in coretemp_cpu_online() was patched out to emulate a CPU without package thermal support. Without this change the array was allocated and never released, and coretemp_device_remove() still saw a non-NULL pointer. With it the array is released and the pointer accounting balances. On an unmodified build the release still happens via the package temp_data and the added kfree() sees NULL, with no slab warnings over repeated module load and unload cycles. | |
| Title | hwmon: (coretemp) Fix core_data leak on CPUs without PTS | |
| First Time appeared |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| CPEs | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | |
| Vendors & Products |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| References |
|
Projects
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MITRE
Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: Linux
Published:
Updated: 2026-09-17T16:07:03.759Z
Reserved: 2026-09-11T19:38:34.791Z
Link: CVE-2026-90178
Vulnrichment
No data.
NVD
Status : Received
Published: 2026-09-17T17:17:11.807
Modified: 2026-09-17T17:17:11.807
Link: CVE-2026-90178
Redhat
No data.
OpenCVE Enrichment
No data.
Weaknesses
No weakness.