[CVE-2026-90041][MODERATE 7.0] HID: sony: clean up device list on probe failure [ Upstream

[CVE-2026-90041][MODERATE 7.0] HID: sony: clean up device list on probe failure [ Upstream

[AL-KERNEL]

CVE: CVE-2026-90041
Priority: MODERATE 7.0
AL-KERNEL base severity: MODERATE
KPANIC flag: YES
Patch: HID: sony: clean up device list on probe failure [ Upstream
Commit: 3b4709e4864908bb06c48c500cc8db8d3d55d139
Upstream patch: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git/commit/?id=3b4709e4864908bb06c48c500cc8db8d3d55d139
Original CVE announcement: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-cve-announce/?q=CVE-2026-90041
Analysis date: Wed, 16 Sep 2026 11:40:22 -0400
ActionableScore: 5
ActionableScore lower bound: 4
Actionable bucket: Actionable Moderate / Strong Important candidate requiring manual review
Manual review required: YES

Summary:
No one-sentence report phrase was found.

======================================================================
ABOUT THIS REPORT
======================================================================

The original Linux kernel CVE announcement for CVE-2026-90041 is available here:
https://lore.kernel.org/linux-cve-announce/?q=CVE-2026-90041

The original announcement does not normally provide a security severity
estimate, CVSS assessment, or enough information to determine whether the
reported kernel bug represents a practically relevant security issue.

This report was generated by AL-KERNEL, an AI-assisted Linux kernel
vulnerability analysis system developed by Alexander Larkin. It combines
an autonomous classifier with LLM-assisted technical analysis and a
separate ActionableScore mechanism.

The purpose of this report is to prioritize Linux kernel CVEs before
manual review, identify cases that require prompt investigation, and
support automatic closure of issues that are unlikely to have meaningful
security impact.

Published priority for this report: MODERATE 7.0
Manual review required: YES

A detailed explanation of the methodology and priority rules is included
at the end of this message.

======================================================================
AL-KERNEL CLASSIFICATION RESULT
======================================================================

CVE-2026-90041	MODERATE	https://www.kernelcve.org/list/?q=CVE-2026-90041 CHECK WITH IMPACT FROM ORIG NN LOW	Maybe valid. Check manually. Hints by AL-KERNEL: The best (paranoid) CVSS is 'AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H';*CWE-416;CWE-459;*CWE-672;Other CVSS 'AV:P/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H';BEST CVSS score: '7.1';DESCR 'A use after free in the HID sony driver can occur when sony_input_configured links a controller into sony_device_list before HID input registration is fully completed. If input_register_device later fails, sony_probe can unwind without removing the driver private list entry, and the devres managed sony_sc object can be freed while its list node remains reachable. A subsequent matching Sony controller can traverse freed memory through the stale list entry, which can lead to a kernel crash and may create a memory corruption primitive depending on heap reuse. For the CVSS the PR:N is used because a malicious or faulty HID controller can reach the probe path without an attacker having an account on the victim system, although physical USB access or Bluetooth proximity and pairing are usually required. The issue is not remotely reachable over IP networks. Impact is at least denial of service and in the paranoid case may include confidentiality or integrity impact because the stale global list pointer is a UAF candidate.';YES REQUIRES MANUAL CHECK; ,and ActionableScore result is Actionable Moderate / Strong Important candidate requiring manual review (with actual score 5)	YES	USB INIT UAF HARDWARE LINUS KPANIC 	NO	NO	checked

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ACTIONABLESCORE ANALYSIS
======================================================================

ActionableScore=5
ActionableScoreLower=4
PrimitiveClass=CLASS_B
RealUAF=YES
HostAdminRequired=NO
NamespaceScopedPrivilege=NO
ImportantCandidate=YES
ManualReview=REQUIRED
AutoDowngradeAllowed=NO

1. ActionableScore

* Raw conservative score: 4
* Conservative score: 4. No conservative floor applied because the lower interpretation treats the demonstrated stale list traversal as primarily crash oriented and does not establish controlled reclaim or a distinct post-free mutation.
* Raw paranoid score: 4
* Paranoid score: 5. Applied REAL UAF FLOOR 5 because the stale object remains linked in a global active device list, is later traversed by another matching controller, and the issue is reachable below host admin through malicious or faulty HID device interaction.
* Final recommended bucket: **Actionable Moderate / Strong Important candidate requiring manual review**::

2. Signal breakdown

Positive signals:

* +2 Real UAF / lifetime violation. The devres-managed `sony_sc` can be freed while `sc->list_node` remains linked in `sony_device_list`, and a later matching controller can traverse freed memory.
* +1 Reliable kernel crash / strong DoS. Traversal of a stale list node in freed kernel memory can realistically cause an Oops or kernel crash.
* +1 Device-mediated external influence. A malicious or faulty Sony-compatible HID controller can reach the probe path without requiring a local account on the victim, though USB physical access or Bluetooth proximity/pairing is material.

Paranoid floor signal:

* Floor 5 applied only for paranoid score. The stale reference is not just a fixed async buffer. It is an active driver context node remaining in a global list and consumed during later device matching, leaving unresolved exploitation leverage beyond an ordinary immediate NULL dereference.

Non-awarded signals:

* +2 Strong exploitation leverage not awarded. Controlled reclaim, attacker-shaped replacement contents, arbitrary read/write, callback control, or demonstrated LPE are not established.
* Structured stale-object leverage +1 not separately awarded. The stale object is structured, but the supplied evidence does not show attacker-controlled replacement fields being meaningfully consumed beyond stale list traversal.
* Concrete repeated release/refcount +1 not awarded. The patch does not establish a first release that can end lifetime followed by a second lifetime/refcount mutation on the exact same dangling reference.
* Weak LPE +1 not awarded. Generic UAF possibility alone is insufficient.
* Extra availability +1 not awarded. The same crash is already counted once.
* Confidentiality and integrity bonuses not awarded. C/I impact is plausible only as a paranoid CVSS-style concern, not as an established ActionableScore primitive.

Negative signals:

* No host-admin penalty applied. The evidence supports reachability via malicious or faulty HID device interaction rather than requiring host administrator privileges.
* No rare-hardware penalty applied. Sony-compatible HID controllers and HID probe paths are not inherently rare, although attacker access is physical or adjacent rather than IP remote.
* No race/timing penalty applied. The issue is an ordered probe/unwind lifetime bug, not a narrow timing race.

3. Reachability analysis

The evaluated attacker is a malicious or faulty HID device, or an actor able to connect such a device. For USB this normally means physical access. For Bluetooth this may mean adjacent proximity and pairing or equivalent controller interaction. No local user account or host-admin-equivalent privilege is positively required for the device to enter the HID probe path.

HostAdminRequired=NO because the vulnerable path is reachable through device probing rather than an administrative control-plane operation. NamespaceScopedPrivilege=NO because namespaces are not relevant to this HID driver path.

The issue is not directly reachable over IP networks. It is device-mediated. Prior host setup may include having the HID sony driver available and the system accepting the relevant controller type. No special rare hardware requirement is established beyond Sony-compatible HID behavior. The failure requires `input_register_device()` or related HID input registration to fail after `sony_input_configured()` has linked the device into `sony_device_list`, then a later matching controller triggers traversal of the stale list entry.

Race repeatability is not the main issue. The core condition is an error/unwind path that fails to perform driver-private cleanup before devres frees `sony_sc`.

4. Primitive and severity interpretation

The exact primitive is a real kernel use-after-free caused by a stale list node in `sony_device_list`. The freed object is `struct sony_sc`, a driver-private structured object. The stale storage is not merely a fixed DMA or URB buffer. It remains linked in a global list and is later traversed when another matching controller is processed.

This is broader than an immediate cleanup-only stale dereference because the stale reference escapes the failed probe path and persists into later global device-list processing. However, the patch does not establish controlled reclaim, attacker-selected replacement contents, arbitrary kernel read/write, callback hijack, refcount takeover, or a demonstrated privilege escalation chain.

No concrete repeated release/refcount operation exists. There is cleanup idempotency and safer list deletion via `list_del_init()`, but the issue is stale list membership after object lifetime ends, not a proven second `put` or `release` on the same dangling object.

PrimitiveClass=CLASS_B because this is a real active-object lifetime violation with unresolved exploitation leverage. The demonstrated consequence is kernel crash/DoS. The speculative consequence is stronger memory corruption if heap reuse causes the stale list traversal to operate on meaningful replacement data, but that is not proven.

ImportantCandidate=YES because an externally reachable active-object UAF in a global driver list should not be automatically downgraded without manual analysis. AutoDowngradeAllowed=NO because the stale global list pointer leaves meaningful lifetime-corruption questions unresolved, even though CLASS_A exploitation is not established.

Likely operational severity is Actionable Moderate, with Strong Important review needed if additional evidence shows controlled reclaim, reliable Bluetooth reachability without pairing constraints, attacker-shaped replacement objects, or non-crash exploitation.

5. One-sentence report phrase

A use-after-free in the HID sony probe failure path can leave a freed `sony_sc` object linked in `sony_device_list`, allowing a later matching controller to traverse freed memory and cause at least a kernel crash, with stronger exploitation requiring manual review.

6. Manual review recommendation

MANUAL CHECK REQUIRED

Reason: this is a real active-object UAF where a freed driver context remains globally reachable and later traversed. Controlled exploitation is not proven, but automatic downgrade would risk missing meaningful post-lifetime corruption leverage.

7. Call-site confidence

Call-site confidence: high

======================================================================
UPSTREAM PATCH SUMMARY
======================================================================

Patch: HID: sony: clean up device list on probe failure [ Upstream
Commit: 3b4709e4864908bb06c48c500cc8db8d3d55d139
Upstream URL: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git/commit/?id=3b4709e4864908bb06c48c500cc8db8d3d55d139

Changed files:
  drivers/hid/hid-sony.c

Diff excerpt:

Not included in this email. See the upstream URL for the full patch.

Full patch:
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git/commit/?id=3b4709e4864908bb06c48c500cc8db8d3d55d139

======================================================================
DETAILED REPORT METHODOLOGY
======================================================================

The original Linux kernel CVE announcement for CVE-2026-90041 can be found here:
https://lore.kernel.org/linux-cve-announce/?q=CVE-2026-90041

The original CVE announcement normally does not include a security-level
estimate. In particular, it may not contain a CVSS assessment, an impact
level, or enough information to determine whether the reported bug is a
practically relevant security issue. One purpose of this parallel CVE list
is to provide that missing technical and prioritization information.

The original goal of the AL-KERNEL project was to prioritize Linux kernel
CVE analysis automatically before manual review. The system can also help
identify non-security issues that may be suitable for automatic closure.

This report was generated by AL-KERNEL, an AI-assisted Linux kernel
vulnerability analysis system developed by Alexander Larkin.

The first analysis stage combines an autonomous classifier with additional
LLM-based analysis. The autonomous classifier runs locally on a CPU and is
based on a backpropagation neural network. Together, these mechanisms
produce a technical vulnerability description, identify likely weakness
types, estimate CVSS severity, and provide input for ActionableScore.

Two CVSS estimates are retained because incomplete kernel vulnerability
information often permits more than one defensible interpretation:

  Conservative CVSS vector: AV:P/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
  The Best / paranoid CVSS vector: AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
  The Best / paranoid CVSS score: 7.1

The conservative vector represents a lower-impact interpretation.
The Best/paranoid vector intentionally represents a plausible upper-bound
interpretation and should not automatically be treated as demonstrated
real-world impact.

CVSS may also need to be adjusted for a particular Linux deployment,
because actual reachability, privileges, enabled kernel configuration,
hardware, namespaces, exposed device nodes, and other environmental
conditions can differ significantly between systems.

A separate ActionableScore mechanism evaluates practical remediation
urgency. Its analysis may include reachability, attack prerequisites,
subsystem exposure, memory-corruption characteristics, denial-of-service
reliability, and possible confidentiality, integrity, or
privilege-escalation impact.

  Conservative ActionableScore: 4
  Paranoid ActionableScore: 5

The final base severity is taken directly from the second tab-separated
field of the AL-KERNEL classification result. ActionableScore does not
replace or independently override that final AL-KERNEL decision, and
if ActionableScore adjusted impact level of ALKERNEL, then you would see
self-readable flags above like INCREASED_TO_HIGH_BASED_ON_ACTIONABLESCOREHIGHEREQTHAN7.

For an AL-KERNEL result of MODERATE, this report uses the following
additional presentation split:

  ActionableScore below 5   -> MODERATE REGULAR
  ActionableScore 5 or more -> MODERATE 7.0

The distinction between MODERATE REGULAR and MODERATE 7.0 makes it
possible to identify Moderate issues that should receive manual analysis
and fixes before lower-priority MODERATE REGULAR issues. In many cases,
MODERATE REGULAR fixes may wait for a later rebase or routine update.

There is one override in which MODERATE REGULAR becomes MODERATE 7.0
even when the ActionableScore is below 5. When the AL-KERNEL result
contains the KPANIC flag, a MODERATE result is always presented as
MODERATE 7.0. The KPANIC flag selected with few regexps without
usage of AI at all, so it helps to detect cases when Kernel Crash happens
and similar (to filter False-Negative results from the LLM usage).

KPANIC indicates that a reliable kernel crash, kernel panic, or similarly
serious kernel availability impact was identified by the classification
workflow.

AL-KERNEL base severity for this report: MODERATE
KPANIC detected for this report: YES
Published priority for this report (same as in Subject): MODERATE 7.0

These results are intended to support engineering triage. They are
machine-generated estimates, and cases marked for manual review should
be validated by a human security engineer before final disposition.
For more info read docs linked from here: https://kernelcve.org/
(and you can submit you own patch there to generate such a report
for non-existant CVE-id yet).

Note that in many cases this AI tool selects higher severity, than
real is (means you can expect Importants instead of Moderate 7.0 or
Moderates 7.0 instead of regular Moderates). If you see such cases,
please use reply email interface to add additional manual analyses
info to this particular CVE.
And please, please, let me know when you see Lows instead of Importants
or Important instead of Low (because particular for such cases I
need to tune this AI tool to make it better for this one and next similar).
My contact email for such notifications is alexanjelausa@gmail.com (and both
send reply to CVE record itself too and see "reply" button below for howto reply).