CVE-2026-90781

alsa-lib through 1.2.16.1 Off-by-One Stack Buffer Overflow in __snd_ctl_ascii_elem_id_parse()

Published Sep 13, 2026 CVSS 4.0 · 4.8 Medium EPSS < 1% KEV · Not listed

Description

alsa-lib through 1.2.16.1 contains a stack buffer overflow in the __snd_ctl_ascii_elem_id_parse() function that writes one byte past a 64-byte buffer when parsing a name= field with 64 or more characters. Attackers can supply a long control-element identifier string through saved state files or command-line arguments to overwrite adjacent stack memory and crash the calling process.

Analysis

Technical impact

The vulnerability is caused by an off‑by‑one write that overflows a 64‑byte stack buffer in the __snd_ctl_ascii_elem_id_parse() function, allowing an attacker to overwrite adjacent stack memory. This can lead to a crash or, in worse cases, memory corruption. The flaw is identified as CWE‑120 and CWE‑193, indicating a buffer overflow and an off‑by‑one error in buffer handling.

Affected Systems

ALSA Project’s alsa‑lib versions up to and including 1.2.16.1 are affected. Systems that load control elements from saved state files or accept command‑line arguments containing control‑element identifiers are vulnerable. Any installation that has not yet upgraded beyond 1.2.16.1 remains at risk.

Risk and Exploitability

The CVSS score of 4.8 indicates moderate severity. The EPSS score is less than 1% and the issue is not listed in can trigger the overflow by supplying a control‑element identifier string with 64 or more characters through a state file or a command‑line argument. The one‑byte overflow may corrupt adjacent memory and cause the process to crash, though no remote code execution or privilege escalation has been documented.

Affected Products

Default status is the baseline for the product, each version can override it (e.g. patched versions marked unaffected).

Vendor Product Default status Versions

ALSA Project

alsa-lib

unaffected

Version	Status	Constraints
`0`	affected	≤ 1.2.16.1
`f84cd4ced7b36fddb8e4ee24404cf7c091d27020`	unaffected	—

No data.

Vendor Product Versions

Alsa-project

Alsa-lib

Version	Status	Scheme	Platform
`[0,1.2.16.1]`	affected	generic	—
`f84cd4ced7b36fddb8e4ee24404cf7c091d27020`	unaffected	code_commit	—

Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

Upgrade alsa‑lib to the latest available version that includes the fix.
Prevent passing control‑element identifiers longer than 63 characters when configuring ALSA; validate or truncate input strings.
Restart any services using the library after applying the update to clear any corrupted state.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on September 15, 2026 at 16:52 UTC.

Tracking

Advisories

No advisories available

Metrics

Attack Vector Local

Attack Complexity Low

Privileges Required Low

Attack Requirements None

User Interaction None

Vulnerable System Confidentiality Impact None

Vulnerable System Integrity Impact Low

Vulnerable System Availability Impact Low

Subsequent System Confidentiality Impact None

Subsequent System Integrity Impact None

Subsequent System Availability Impact None

Attack Vector Local

Attack Complexity Low

Privileges Required Low

Scope Unchanged

Confidentiality Impact None

Integrity Impact Low

Availability Impact Low

User Interaction None

No CVSS v3.0

No CVSS v2

This CVE is not in the KEV list.

Exploit prediction score: < 1% (0.179% probability within 30 days)

Exploitation none

Automatable no

Technical Impact partial

References

Link	Providers
https://github.com/alsa-project/alsa-lib
https://github.com/alsa-project/alsa-lib/blob/v1.2.16.1/src/control/ctlparse.c#L216-L241
https://github.com/alsa-project/alsa-lib/commit/f84cd4ced7b36fddb8e4ee24404cf7c091d27020
https://lore.kernel.org/alsa-devel/CACBQ=P2FhO3M6dkv3cWuKb6Qhs92ouV+FJ3SJZ_PVBSSdJWRAQ@mail.gmail.com/
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-90781
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-90781
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/alsa-lib-through-1.2.16.1-off-by-one-stack-buffer-overflow-in-snd-ctl-ascii-elem-id-parse

History

Sep 16, 2026 2:30 PM Scoring metrics updated View changes

Type	Values Removed	Values Added
Metrics		ssvc `{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'partial'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}`

Sep 14, 2026 12:15 PM Weaknesses updated. Added references. Scoring metrics updated View changes

Type	Values Removed	Values Added
Weaknesses		CWE-120
References		https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-90781 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-90781
Metrics	threat_severity `None`	threat_severity `Moderate`

Sep 13, 2026 12:45 PM Description updated. Title updated. First appearance in the feed. Weaknesses updated. Affected versions updated. Affected vendors updated. Added references. Scoring metrics updated View changes

Type	Values Removed	Values Added
Description		alsa-lib through 1.2.16.1 contains a stack buffer overflow in the __snd_ctl_ascii_elem_id_parse() function that writes one byte past a 64-byte buffer when parsing a name= field with 64 or more characters. Attackers can supply a long control-element identifier string through saved state files or command-line arguments to overwrite adjacent stack memory and crash the calling process.
Title		alsa-lib through 1.2.16.1 Off-by-One Stack Buffer Overflow in __snd_ctl_ascii_elem_id_parse()
First Time appeared		Alsa-project Alsa-project alsa-lib
Weaknesses		CWE-193
CPEs		cpe:2.3:a:alsa-project:alsa-lib::::::::
Vendors & Products		Alsa-project Alsa-project alsa-lib
References		https://github.com/alsa-project/alsa-lib https://github.com/alsa-project/alsa-lib/blob/v1.2.16.1/src/control/ctlparse.c#L216-L241 https://github.com/alsa-project/alsa-lib/commit/f84cd4ced7b36fddb8e4ee24404cf7c091d27020 https://lore.kernel.org/alsa-devel/CACBQ=P2FhO3M6dkv3cWuKb6Qhs92ouV+FJ3SJZ_PVBSSdJWRAQ@mail.gmail.com/ https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/alsa-lib-through-1.2.16.1-off-by-one-stack-buffer-overflow-in-snd-ctl-ascii-elem-id-parse
Metrics		cvssV3_1 `{'score': 4.4, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L'}` cvssV4_0 `{'score': 4.8, 'vector': 'CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N'}`