CVE-2026-23101: linux Use of Uninitialized Resource

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2026-23101 is a medium (CVSS 4.7) Use of Uninitialized Resource vulnerability in linux. EPSS estimates a 0.14% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 3% of scored vulnerabilities.

Timeline

1. 04-02-2026
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 19-10-2026
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: leds: led-class: Only Add LED to leds_list when it is fully ready Before this change the LED was added to leds_list before led_init_core() gets called adding it the list before led_classdev.set_brightness_work gets initialized. This leaves a window where led_trigger_register() of a LED's default trigger will call led_trigger_set() which calls led_set_brightness() which in turn will end up queueing the *uninitialized* led_classdev.set_brightness_work. This race gets hit by the lenovo-thinkpad-t14s EC driver which registers 2 LEDs with a default trigger provided by snd_ctl_led.ko in quick succession. The first led_classdev_register() causes an async modprobe of snd_ctl_led to run and that async modprobe manages to exactly hit the window where the second LED is on the leds_list without led_init_core() being called for it, resulting in: ------------[ cut here ]------------ WARNING: CPU: 11 PID: 5608 at kernel/workqueue.c:4234 __flush_work+0x344/0x390 Hardware name: LENOVO 21N2S01F0B/21N2S01F0B, BIOS N42ET93W (2.23 ) 09/01/2025 ... Call trace: __flush_work+0x344/0x390 (P) flush_work+0x2c/0x50 led_trigger_set+0x1c8/0x340 led_trigger_register+0x17c/0x1c0 led_trigger_register_simple+0x84/0xe8 snd_ctl_led_init+0x40/0xf88 [snd_ctl_led] do_one_initcall+0x5c/0x318 do_init_module+0x9c/0x2b8 load_module+0x7e0/0x998 Close the race window by moving the adding of the LED to leds_list to after the led_init_core() call.

• CWE-908Use of Uninitialized ResourceThe product uses or accesses a resource that has not been initialized.
• CWE-362Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition')The product contains a concurrent code sequence that requires temporary, exclusive access to a shared resource, but a timing window exists in which the shared resource can be modified by another code sequence operating concurrently.