Back to the CVE list
CVE-2026-16511

Unvalidated user pointers in RTIO syscall verifiers allow a user-mode thread to write kernel memory

CVSS score

8.8

EPSS probability

—

Risk score

0.9

Published

2 h ago

Official patch verified

Etkilenen ürün ve sürüm için yayımlanan güvenlik güncellemesini uygulayın.

Impact on My Inventory

Only the personal products you have added to your account are assessed; an organisation's inventory does not appear here.

Checking session…

Vulnerability description

DayBreach AI Explanation

Verified against sources

RTIO syscall verifiers lack pointer validation, enabling kernel memory writes in Zephyr

Sources read

2

Source agreement

Tam uyum

Evidence confidence

%63

Short explanation

Two RTIO syscall verifiers in Zephyr do not validate user‑supplied pointers, allowing a user‑mode thread to write arbitrary kernel memory. By setting a bit in a 16‑bit flags field and following pointer chains, an attacker can elevate privileges. Systems built with CONFIG_USERSPACE and CONFIG_RTIO are affected; other configurations are not.

Why does it matter?

Privilege escalation can lead to full compromise of embedded devices.

What should be done?

  • Apply Zephyr patch commits (b1092a0…, 95c355c…, 3f244c…)
  • Upgrade to Zephyr 4.3.2 or 4.5.0 and later
  • Disable CONFIG_USERSPACE or CONFIG_RTIO if not required
  • Mark handle out‑parameters as writable in custom code
Chain of evidence and sources3 verified claims

Bu güvenlik açığı, bir kullanıcı‑modu iş parçacığının çekirdek belleğine rastgele yazmasına ve root yetkileri elde etmesine izin verir.

Etkilenen Zephyr sürümleri 3.4.0 < 4.3.2 ve 4.4.0 < 4.5.0 arasındadır; CONFIG_USERSPACE veya CONFIG_RTIO olmayan derlemeler etkilenmez.

Yama referansları mevcuttur ve Zephyr 4.3.2 ve 4.5.0 gibi sabit sürümlerle sorunu giderebilir.

Show the technical text from the sources

Two RTIO syscall verifiers, in subsys/rtio/rtio_syscalls.c (subsys/rtio/rtio_handlers.c before v4.3.0), did not validate user-supplied pointers before the kernel wrote through them. z_vrfy_rtio_sqe_cancel() performed no validation at all. It passed the caller's struct rtio_sqe pointer straight to z_impl_rtio_sqe_cancel(), which converts it with CONTAINER_OF to a struct rtio_iodev_sqe, ORs RTIO_SQE_CANCELED (BIT(3)) into its 16-bit flags field in supervisor mode, then loads its next pointer and repeats until that pointer is NULL. The syscall takes no RTIO context argument, so it needs no object grant: any user-mode thread on a CONFIG_USERSPACE build can set that bit in a 16-bit word at an address of its choosing in kernel memory, and the kernel continues the write along whatever pointer chain it finds at the corresponding offset. Setting chosen bits in kernel data structures, such as object permission or thread state fields, can be used to escalate privilege from user mode. z_vrfy_rtio_sqe_copy_in_get_handles() validated its RTIO context and the input SQE array, but only NULL-checked the handle out-parameter before writing a kernel SQE pointer through it, with no K_SYSCALL_MEMORY_WRITE check. A user thread that holds a granted RTIO context can therefore make the kernel store a pointer value at an arbitrary address. The fixes validate the handle out-parameter as writable, bound the cancel handle to real submission-pool storage, and require permission on the RTIO context that owns the matching pool. Without that last check a bounded handle still let any user thread cancel submissions belonging to other contexts, silently aborting their I/O. Systems built without CONFIG_USERSPACE or without CONFIG_RTIO are unaffected.

CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-822, CWE-787, CWE-862

This explanation was compiled automatically from the source records. Scores, active exploitation, patch and exploit status come straight from the sources.

IMPACT: Affected Products and Software

Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2026-16511 vulnerability. Where our threat engine knows the exact affected versions, they are listed below.

IDVENDORPRODUCTACTION
1zephyrprojectzephyr View
Total affected vendors: 1|Products: 1

RED HAT CSAF/VEX: Product Impact Check

Red Hat has not yet published a CSAF/VEX impact record for this CVE. This does not mean “not affected”.

SCORING: CVSS from Multiple Sources

CVSS Scores

The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is a standardised framework for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities in software and systems. We collect and display CVSS scores from several sources for each CVE.

SCOREVERSIONSEVERITYVECTORSOURCE
8.8CVSS V31HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:HNVD
8.8CVSS V3_1HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:HCVE CNA

Patch and Remediation Guide

Solution & Remediation Advisory

Patch verified

6 doğrulanmış yama veya düzeltilmiş sürüm kanıtı bulundu.

cvelist

Fix commit b1092a0aa7fb

Open source
cvelist

Fix commit 95c355c42576

Open source
cvelist

Fix commit 3f244c1709ec

Open source
reference

Fix commit b1092a0aa7fb

Open source
reference

Fix commit 95c355c42576

Open source
reference

Fix commit 3f244c1709ec

Open source
Confirm the affected product and version against the source evidence above.
Restrict access to internet-facing services and apply network segmentation.
Apply the official update named in the evidence only to the matching product and version.
Monitor server logs and network endpoints for signs of anomalous execution.

Public exploit and active exploitation status

Verified exploit intelligence

No verified public PoC, exploit repository or Metasploit module has been found for this CVE yet.

Weakness Classification and Attack Patterns (CWE & CAPEC)

CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorises the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-16511 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-16511 weaknesses.

Attack Vector and Accessibility

ExposureYerel erişim
PermissionsLow
UserGerekmiyor

Official Sources and Advisories

CVSS Vector Radar Chart

8.8 / 10
Attack VectorLocalComplexityLowPrivilegesLowUser Interact.NoneConfidentialityLowIntegrityNoneAvailabilityHigh

Vulnerability Scoring Details

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredLow privileges
User InteractionNone required
Confidentiality (Gizlilik)Low
Integrity (Bütünlük)None
Availability (Erişilebilirlik)High

Yama doğrulandı

6 doğrulanmış yama veya düzeltilmiş sürüm kanıtı bulundu.

Follow the vendor

Weakness Type (CWE & CAPEC)

Similar Vulnerabilities

Get this vulnerability through the API

Affected products, version ranges, exploitation status and patch information in a single request, with a free key.

curl -H "x-api-key: $DAYBREACH_API_KEY" \
  "https://api.daybreach.dev/api/v1/intel/cves/CVE-2026-16511"
CVE-2026-16511 · Unvalidated user pointers in RTIO syscall…