In the Linux kernel, the Spreadtrum EIC driver incorrectly uses a regular spinlock during IRQ startup, which becomes a sleeping lock on PREEMPT_RT kernels. This path is not sleepable, leading to a Lockdep warning that can trigger a deadlock, kernel panic, or denial of service. The vulnerability is a kernel correctness issue; it does not grant userland code an escape route to execute arbitrary code or read protected data.

All Linux kernels that include the eic‑sprd driver, which is used for Spreadtrum/GPIO hardware support. The exact affected version range is not specified, but any kernel build that has not applied the recent patch that converts the lock to a raw_spinlock_t remains vulnerable.

The EPSS score is below 1%, indicating a very low likelihood of active exploitation. It is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog. The likely attack vector is via a privileged or kernel-mode process that can trigger a GPIO interrupt and expose the sleeping lock path; this requires a PREEMPT_RT kernel configuration. Because the flaw is purely a kernel interference rather than a remote code payload, the risk is moderate, with potential for system instability rather than direct remote exploitation.