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CVE Record

CVE-2026-23369: i2c: i801: Revert "i2c: i801: replace acpi_lock with I2C bus lock"

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: i2c: i801: Revert "i2c: i801: replace acpi_lock with I2C bus lock" This reverts commit f707d6b9e7c18f669adfdb443906d46cfbaaa0c1. Under rare circumstances, multiple udev threads can collect i801 device info on boot and walk i801_acpi_io_handler somewhat concurrently. The first will note the area is reserved by acpi to prevent further touches. This ultimately causes the area to be deregistered. The second will enter i801_acpi_io_handler after the area is unregistered but before a check can be made that the area is unregistered. i2c_lock_bus relies on the now unregistered area containing lock_ops to lock the bus. The end result is a kernel panic on boot with the following backtrace; [ 14.971872] ioatdma 0000:09:00.2: enabling device (0100 -> 0102) [ 14.971873] BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000 [ 14.971880] #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode [ 14.971884] #PF: error_code(0x0000) - not-present page [ 14.971887] PGD 0 P4D 0 [ 14.971894] Oops: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP PTI [ 14.971900] CPU: 5 PID: 956 Comm: systemd-udevd Not tainted 5.14.0-611.5.1.el9_7.x86_64 #1 [ 14.971905] Hardware name: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX BIOS 1.20.10.SV91 01/30/2023 [ 14.971908] RIP: 0010:i801_acpi_io_handler+0x2d/0xb0 [i2c_i801] [ 14.971929] Code: 00 00 49 8b 40 20 41 57 41 56 4d 8b b8 30 04 00 00 49 89 ce 41 55 41 89 d5 41 54 49 89 f4 be 02 00 00 00 55 4c 89 c5 53 89 fb <48> 8b 00 4c 89 c7 e8 18 61 54 e9 80 bd 80 04 00 00 00 75 09 4c 3b [ 14.971933] RSP: 0018:ffffbaa841483838 EFLAGS: 00010282 [ 14.971938] RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: 0000000000000000 RCX: ffff9685e01ba568 [ 14.971941] RDX: 0000000000000008 RSI: 0000000000000002 RDI: 0000000000000000 [ 14.971944] RBP: ffff9685ca22f028 R08: ffff9685ca22f028 R09: ffff9685ca22f028 [ 14.971948] R10: 000000000000000b R11: 0000000000000580 R12: 0000000000000580 [ 14.971951] R13: 0000000000000008 R14: ffff9685e01ba568 R15: ffff9685c222f000 [ 14.971954] FS: 00007f8287c0ab40(0000) GS:ffff96a47f940000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 [ 14.971959] CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 [ 14.971963] CR2: 0000000000000000 CR3: 0000000168090001 CR4: 00000000003706f0 [ 14.971966] DR0: 0000000000000000 DR1: 0000000000000000 DR2: 0000000000000000 [ 14.971968] DR3: 0000000000000000 DR6: 00000000fffe0ff0 DR7: 0000000000000400 [ 14.971972] Call Trace: [ 14.971977] <TASK> [ 14.971981] ? show_trace_log_lvl+0x1c4/0x2df [ 14.971994] ? show_trace_log_lvl+0x1c4/0x2df [ 14.972003] ? acpi_ev_address_space_dispatch+0x16e/0x3c0 [ 14.972014] ? __die_body.cold+0x8/0xd [ 14.972021] ? page_fault_oops+0x132/0x170 [ 14.972028] ? exc_page_fault+0x61/0x150 [ 14.972036] ? asm_exc_page_fault+0x22/0x30 [ 14.972045] ? i801_acpi_io_handler+0x2d/0xb0 [i2c_i801] [ 14.972061] acpi_ev_address_space_dispatch+0x16e/0x3c0 [ 14.972069] ? __pfx_i801_acpi_io_handler+0x10/0x10 [i2c_i801] [ 14.972085] acpi_ex_access_region+0x5b/0xd0 [ 14.972093] acpi_ex_field_datum_io+0x73/0x2e0 [ 14.972100] acpi_ex_read_data_from_field+0x8e/0x230 [ 14.972106] acpi_ex_resolve_node_to_value+0x23d/0x310 [ 14.972114] acpi_ds_evaluate_name_path+0xad/0x110 [ 14.972121] acpi_ds_exec_end_op+0x321/0x510 [ 14.972127] acpi_ps_parse_loop+0xf7/0x680 [ 14.972136] acpi_ps_parse_aml+0x17a/0x3d0 [ 14.972143] acpi_ps_execute_method+0x137/0x270 [ 14.972150] acpi_ns_evaluate+0x1f4/0x2e0 [ 14.972158] acpi_evaluate_object+0x134/0x2f0 [ 14.972164] acpi_evaluate_integer+0x50/0xe0 [ 14.972173] ? vsnprintf+0x24b/0x570 [ 14.972181] acpi_ac_get_state.part.0+0x23/0x70 [ 14.972189] get_ac_property+0x4e/0x60 [ 14.972195] power_supply_show_property+0x90/0x1f0 [ 14.972205] add_prop_uevent+0x29/0x90 [ 14.972213] power_supply_uevent+0x109/0x1d0 [ 14.972222] dev_uevent+0x10e/0x2f0 [ 14.972228] uevent_show+0x8e/0x100 [ 14.972236] dev_attr_show+0x19 ---truncated---

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2026-23369 is a Linux kernel boot-time reliability flaw. On some systems, a rare race between udev activity and the i801 I2C/SMBus driver can crash the kernel during startup. The main business risk is availability: affected hosts may fail to boot reliably until a corrected kernel is installed.

Executive priority

Handle through normal kernel patch governance, with elevated priority for fleets where reboot reliability matters. This is not presented as an internet-exploitable emergency, but a boot panic can still create downtime during maintenance, recovery, or autoscaling events.

Technical view

The issue reverts Linux commit f707d6b9e7c18f669adfdb443906d46cfbaaa0c1. Multiple udev threads can concurrently enter i801_acpi_io_handler after an ACPI-reserved area is deregistered. The I2C bus lock path then dereferences missing lock_ops, producing a NULL pointer dereference and kernel panic during boot.

Likely exposure

Exposure appears limited to Linux systems with affected kernel builds using the i2c_i801 driver and relevant ACPI behavior. The source describes rare boot-time conditions, not broad remote reachability. Confirm exposure through kernel version, distro backports, hardware inventory, and whether i2c_i801 is present or loaded.

Exploitation context

The provided sources do not show active exploitation, public weaponization, or KEV listing. The described trigger is a race during boot involving udev and ACPI/i801 handling. Treat this primarily as a denial-of-service and operational stability issue unless vendor advisories add broader impact detail.

Researcher notes

Evidence is centered on a kernel stable fix and crash trace. No CVSS, CWE, exploitability assessment, or distribution-specific package mapping is included. Validate exact affected ranges through upstream stable branches and vendor backports before making fleet-wide exposure claims.

Mitigation direction

  • Apply Linux kernel stable updates containing the referenced revert fixes.
  • Check distribution advisories for backported fixes matching your kernel package.
  • Prioritize systems that have shown i2c_i801 boot panics or unexplained startup crashes.
  • Avoid deploying affected kernel builds to similar hardware until vendor guidance is confirmed.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Linux kernel versions against the CVE record and distro advisories.
  • Check boot logs for i2c_i801, i801_acpi_io_handler, NULL dereference, or kernel panic traces.
  • Confirm whether the fixed stable commits are included in deployed kernel source or package changelogs.
  • Test reboot behavior on representative affected hardware after applying the corrected kernel.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
6

Public sources used

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

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

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CVE-2026-23369 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

0CVSS vectors
3Timeline events
0ADP providers
5Source links

Vulnerability timeline

Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.

  1. CVE reservedCVE Program

    The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.

  2. CVE publishedCVE Program

    The CVE record was published.

  3. CVE updatedCVE Program

    The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinuxf707d6b9e7c18f669adfdb443906d46cfbaaa0c1, f707d6b9e7c18f669adfdb443906d46cfbaaa0c1, f707d6b9e7c18f669adfdb443906d46cfbaaa0c1, f707d6b9e7c18f669adfdb443906d46cfbaaa0c1unaffected
LinuxLinux6.7, 0, 6.12.77, 6.18.17, 6.19.7, 7.0affected
Weakness

CWE details

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