CVE-2026-72263

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's ASoC (Audio System on Chip) Sound Open Firmware (SOF) topology component. When a topology filename contains "dummy" and a specific counter is zero, the snd_sof_load_topology function fails to deallocate previously assigned memory. This oversight results in a memory leak with each failed topology load attempt, potentially leading to resource exhaustion and a denial of service (DoS) for the system.

A low-severity flaw was found in the Linux kernel ASoC Sound Open Firmware (SOF) topology component. When the SOF topology filename contains "dummy" and the topology file count (tplg_cnt) is zero, the snd_sof_load_topology() function returns -EINVAL without freeing the tplg_files buffer previously allocated with kcalloc(), leaking kernel memory on every such failed topology load attempt. Repeated failed load attempts can progressively consume kernel memory and potentially lead to resource exhaustion and denial of service; there is no impact on confidentiality or integrity. Exploitation requires local access and the ability to trigger SOF topology loading with the affected configuration. The kernel and kernel-rt packages in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.9 are affected, with the fix deferred because of the low security impact of this flaw; the residual risk is limited to gradual memory consumption on systems where local users can repeatedly trigger the affected code path. All other Red Hat Enterprise Linux streams and Red Hat In-Vehicle OS versions are not affected because the vulnerable code is not present in those products. Although the CVSS:3.1 base score of 5.5 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H) corresponds to moderate severity, the Red Hat overall severity for this flaw is low because reliable triggering requires local access and control over SOF topology loading on the system.

The CVSS score(s) listed for this vulnerability do not reflect the associated product's status, and are included for informational purposes to better understand the severity of this vulnerability.

Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options do not meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base, or stability.