CVE-2026-74503

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Advanced Linux Sound Architecture (ALSA) timer component. An unprivileged local user with access to the /dev/snd/timer and /dev/snd/seq devices can exploit a race condition where a timer instance's SNDRV_TIMER_IFLG_DEAD flag is not properly cleared after closing. This can lead to a use-after-free vulnerability, allowing the user to trigger a system crash and cause a denial of service.

Red Hat has rated this vulnerability as having an impact of Important because an authenticated local user can exploit memory corruption within the sound subsystem to crash the operating system or potentially achieve kernel-level privilege escalation. Exploitation requires direct access to ALSA sequencer and timer device interfaces, meaning remote network attackers cannot directly trigger the flaw. On standard enterprise server installations and container environments, sound hardware interfaces are rarely mapped or exposed to unprivileged accounts, significantly mitigating exposure.

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.