CVE-2026-81011: Linux kernel · platform/x86: hp-bioscfg: pass validated element count to package parsers
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.1 High.
Data as of 28 Oct 2026, 01:00 UTC
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 11 Sep 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinuxpkg:deb/ubuntu/linux?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-awspkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azurepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azure-fdepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure-fde?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gcppkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gcp?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gkepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gke?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: platform/x86: hp-bioscfg: pass validated element count to package parsers The per-type package parsers are handed the wrong element count. hp_init_bios_package_attribute() validates obj->package.count and then calls one of the five hp_populate_*_package_data() wrappers (string, integer, enumeration, ordered list, password). Each wrapper forwards a count to its hp_populate_*_elements_from_package() parser, but instead of forwarding the validated obj->package.count it derives the count from elements[0]. elements[0] is the NAME field and is always an ACPI_TYPE_STRING, so reading ->package.count from it in fact reads ->string.length through the union acpi_object. The parsers thus bound themselves against the length of the name string rather than against the real number of elements in the package. This is safe today because hp_init_bios_package_attribute() refuses any package that has fewer than the type's element count, so a parser only ever runs on a full package and never reads past it regardless of the bogus bound. An upcoming change relaxes that check to accept shorter packages. Once a parser can receive fewer elements than its per-type count, a bound taken from the name length no longer reflects the array size, and the "elem < count" loop conditions and "elem + n >= count" sub-loop guards read past the end of elements[] - an out-of-bounds heap read. Forward the validated obj->package.count to every *_package_data() wrapper so the parsers bound themselves against the real package size. This does not change behaviour for the packages that enumerate correctly today and is a prerequisite for accepting shorter packages safely.
References
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-81011 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-81011 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/linus/e0ddfd77c0c320b7d12b6c9169303b140b798775 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/400cbc3ccc88a5ad37cd85056224635ce9eba018 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/436017808c7cbcdb5e49b2142090d4391e3de9a6 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/a38127df99ae8b1851560b35b837c9952416143a (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/e0ddfd77c0c320b7d12b6c9169303b140b798775 (opens in a new tab)