Description
alsa-lib through 1.2.16.1 contains a stack buffer overflow in the __snd_ctl_ascii_elem_id_parse() function that writes one byte past a 64-byte buffer when parsing a name= field with 64 or more characters. Attackers can supply a long control-element identifier string through saved state files or command-line arguments to overwrite adjacent stack memory and crash the calling process.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALSA Project | alsa-lib | ≤ 1.2.16.1 | — |
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | alsa-lib | 1.2.16.1-2 | — |
| Debian 13 | alsa-lib | No fix yet | — |
| Debian 12 | alsa-lib | No fix yet | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.10 | alsa-lib | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | alsa-lib | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | alsa-lib | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | alsa-lib | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | alsa-lib | No fix yet | — |
Show 3 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | alsa-lib | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 14.04 LTS | alsa-lib | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTS | alsa-lib | No fix yet | — |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Hardened Images 1 | alsa-lib +3 | 1.2.16.1-2.hum1 | RHSA-2026:67289, RHSA-2026:40573 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | alsa | 1.2.16.1-2.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:11783-1 |
Amazon Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux 2023 | alsa-lib +3 | 1.2.7.2-1.amzn2023.0.5 | ALAS2023-2026-3429 |
| Amazon Linux 2 | alsa-lib +1 | 1.1.4.1-2.amzn2.0.2 | ALAS2-2026-4041 |
Azure Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azure Linux 3 | alsa-lib | 1.2.16.1-3 | — |
Wolfi
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wolfi rolling | alsa-lib | No fix yet | — |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
GitHub 1 repository
-
HarshRajSinghania/CVE-2026-90781-alsa-lib-oob ★ 0 · Sep 13, 2026
Standalone reproducer for CVE-2026-90781: 1-byte OOB write in alsa-lib __snd_ctl_ascii_elem_id_parse() name= parsing (quoted and unquoted)
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 5
- ALAS2023-2026-3429 Moderate: alsa-lib security update (Amazon Linux 2023) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Nov 12, 2026
- ALAS2-2026-4041 Moderate: alsa-lib security update (Amazon Linux 2) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Oct 26, 2026
- RHSA-2026:40573 Red Hat Security Advisory: Red Hat Hardened Images RPMs bug fix and enhancement update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Sep 22, 2026
- RHSA-2026:67289 Red Hat Security Advisory: Red Hat Hardened Images RPMs Security Update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Sep 22, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2026:11783-1 alsa-1.2.16.1-2.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Sep 16, 2026
References
- Patch Commit patch
- Vulnerable name= parsing loops in __snd_ctl_ascii_elem_id_parse() at v1.2.16.1 technical-description
- alsa-devel report thread mailing-list
- https://github.com/alsa-project/alsa-lib product
- VulnCheck Advisory: alsa-lib through 1.2.16.1 Off-by-One Stack Buffer Overflow in __snd_ctl_ascii_elem_id_parse() third-party-advisory