A flaw in the Linux kernel’s media subsystem causes a partially initialized buffer to be inserted into a kernel list whenever a DMA allocation fails. The buffer remains in the list despite the failure code, creating an inconsistent kernel state. If later code attempts to use this buffer, a null or invalid memory dereference can trigger a kernel crash or memory corruption, potentially leading to a denial of service.

Any system running a Linux kernel that includes the affected media:iris code path is susceptible. The vulnerability does not affect a specific kernel version, so all current releases that have not applied the change are impacted.

No publicly available EPSS or CVSS score is listed, and the vulnerability is not in the CISA KEV catalog. Attackers would need local or privileged access to trigger the specific DRM or media path that causes a DMA allocation failure. Because the flaw requires kernel-level code execution to reach the vulnerable code, it is not remotely exploitable and its risk in the wild is low, though a successful trigger can cause a kernel panic. Updating the kernel is the recommended mitigation.