At the kernel level, the i915 Direct Rendering Manager driver writes Video‑Ready‑Refresh registers in the wrong order, placing TRANS_VRR_VMAX/FLIPLINE before enabling TRANS_DDI_FUNC_CTL. This sequencing can trigger a machine check exception that causes the kernel to hang, effectively denying service to the system. The defect was observed when an external display link training failed, such as when a dock or cable caused the HDMI/DisplayPort link to break.

Linux kernel releases containing the pre‑fix i915 VRR implementation are affected. Any kernel that has not applied the commit that reorders the register writes is vulnerable. The flaw was reproduced on a Linux system with an Intel integrated graphics driver when a docking configuration caused link training failure, but the kernel code itself is independent of specific hardware models.

The CVSS score is 5.5, the EPSS score is below 1 percent, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog. Exploitation requires local privileged access to the host and the ability to induce a link‑training failure— for example by manipulating an external display connection or using an unreliable cable. No publicly documented remote exploitation route exists. The impact is limited to a kernel hang that results in denial of service for the affected system.