In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
serial: sc16is7xx: fix TX fifo corruption
Sometimes, when a packet is received on channel A at almost the same time
as a packet is about to be transmitted on channel B, we observe with a
logic analyzer that the received packet on channel A is transmitted on
channel B. In other words, the Tx buffer data on channel B is corrupted
with data from channel A.
The problem appeared since commit 4409df5866b7 ("serial: sc16is7xx: change
EFR lock to operate on each channels"), which changed the EFR locking to
operate on each channel instead of chip-wise.
This commit has introduced a regression, because the EFR lock is used not
only to protect the EFR registers access, but also, in a very obscure and
undocumented way, to protect access to the data buffer, which is shared by
the Tx and Rx handlers, but also by each channel of the IC.
Fix this regression first by switching to kfifo_out_linear_ptr() in
sc16is7xx_handle_tx() to eliminate the need for a shared Rx/Tx buffer.
Secondly, replace the chip-wise Rx buffer with a separate Rx buffer for
each channel.
Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2024-44951 is a Linux kernel serial-driver bug where data received on one SC16IS7xx channel can corrupt data being transmitted on another. For exposed systems, the business risk is unreliable or misdirected serial communications, not a documented internet-facing compromise path.
Executive priority
Targeted review is warranted, not broad emergency response. Prioritize assets where serial data integrity affects operations, safety monitoring, access control, or device-to-device communications. Official severity and CVSS are not provided in the source bundle.
Technical view
The issue is a regression after Linux commit 4409df5866b7. Per-channel EFR locking no longer protected a shared data buffer used by Tx, Rx, and multiple IC channels. Fixes remove shared Tx buffer reliance with kfifo_out_linear_ptr() and use separate Rx buffers per channel.
Likely exposure
Exposure appears limited to Linux systems using the sc16is7xx serial driver with affected kernel code. The provided record lists Linux as the affected product and references stable kernel fixes, but does not give CPEs or a complete deployment inventory.
Exploitation context
The supplied sources describe observed packet corruption using a logic analyzer. They do not report active exploitation, public weaponization, or KEV listing. Treat this as an integrity and potential cross-channel data exposure issue in affected serial deployments.
Researcher notes
Key uncertainty is exact affected-version boundaries from the supplied normalized data. The root cause is shared buffer protection loss after an EFR locking regression. Analysis should focus on whether downstream vendor kernels carry the regression and the stable buffer-isolation fixes.
Mitigation direction
Check whether systems use the Linux sc16is7xx serial driver.
Update to a vendor kernel containing the referenced stable fixes.
Prioritize embedded, industrial, and appliance systems using multi-channel serial interfaces.
If immediate update is unavailable, ask the vendor for supported mitigation guidance.
Validation and detection
Inventory running kernel versions and loaded serial drivers.
Confirm whether SC16IS7xx hardware or device-tree entries are present.
Compare kernel source or package changelog against the referenced stable commits.
Run regression tests for serial Tx/Rx behavior after patching.
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Potential ATT&CK relevance
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
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CVE-2024-44951 mapping review
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