In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: gpio: arizona: Fix runtime PM leak in arizona_gpio_direction_out() Switching a… (CVE-2026-98529)

The vulnerability in the Linux kernel's gpio: arizona driver involved a runtime PM reference leak in the function arizona_gpio_direction_out(). When switching a persistent GPIO line from input to output, the driver acquires a runtime PM reference on the parent device. However, if the subsequent regmap_update_bits() call fails, the reference is not dropped, and since the direction change never completes, no later call to direction_in() can balance the reference. The fix ensures that the runtime PM reference is properly dropped on the failure path of the update operation.

The impact is a resource leak of runtime PM references on the parent device, which could lead to improper power management behavior and potentially affect system stability or power consumption. There is no indication of direct security compromise or code execution from this leak.

An official fix has been applied to the Linux kernel to address this issue. Users should update to the fixed kernel version containing this patch to resolve the runtime PM reference leak. No additional mitigation steps are indicated.