Linux Kernel Vulnerability Affecting Hardware Monitoring by Sashiko

CVE-2026-64213

What is CVE-2026-64213?

In the Linux kernel, a vulnerability exists within the hwmon subsystem, specifically related to the lm90 hardware monitoring driver. The issue arises from the lm90_alert() function, which is executed in the context of an SMBus alert without the necessary hardware monitor (hwmon) lock. This oversight can lead to a race condition where concurrent sysfs write operations modify the driver’s configuration, unintentionally re-enabling hardware alerts during active alarms. This behavior can trigger an interrupt storm, severely affecting system stability and performance. A recent patch has been implemented to add the required locking mechanism in lm90_alert() to mitigate this issue.

References