The Linux kernel's iris media driver includes a safety check that prohibits the stop_streaming routine from running when the device is in an error state. Because this check skips buffer release and firmware cleanup during early failures, allocated buffers are not returned to the video buffer (vb2) subsystem and the camera firmware remains in an inconsistent state. Consequently system logs contain warnings, and repeated or severe errors can exhaust kernel memory or leave the hardware unrecoverable, effectively causing a denial of service to applications that rely on this driver or to the device as a whole.

All Linux kernel releases that contain the commit that added the problematic safety check are affected. The vulnerability persists until the change is removed by reverting that commit or applying an equivalent patch. Systems using the iris driver from that commit onward, especially those that encounter early streaming errors, are vulnerable.

The CVSS score of 5.5 indicates moderate severity. The EPSS score is reported as < 1%, and the flaw is not listed in CISA's KEV catalog, suggesting low exploitation activity. Based on the description, it is inferred that an attacker would need local or elevated privileges to trigger a streaming error on iris hardware; after the error occurs, the driver’s improper cleanup could lead to resource leaks or firmware inconsistency. Because both attack conditions are relatively uncommon and the exploit requires physical or privileged access, the overall risk remains moderate but should be addressed promptly.