Medium [CVE-2026-53121] Fix memory leak in amd_pstate_epp_cpu_init
This medium-severity Red Hat Linux advisory covers CVE-2026-53121 affecting Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat package: kernel-rt.
Aggregated and source-linked by VulniPulse. Data sources, validation and limitations.
VulniPulse record published Record updated
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: amd-pstate: Fix memory leak in amd_pstate_epp_cpu_init() On failure to set the epp, the function amd_pstate_epp_cpu_init() returns with an error code without freeing the cpudata object that was allocated at the beginning of the function.
Ensure that the cpudata object is freed before returning from the function. This memory leak was discovered by Claude Opus 4.6 with the aid of Chris Mason's AI review-prompts ( ).
When the amd_pstate_epp_cpu_init() function fails to set the Energy Performance Preference (EPP), it does not properly free a previously allocated data object. This oversight leads to a memory leak, which could result in resource exhaustion over time and potentially cause a Denial of Service (DoS) condition on the affected system.
Red Hat severity: Low — CVSS 5.5 (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H). Weakness: CWE-772.
Affected Red Hat products: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10; Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9. Red Hat does not currently list a fixing RHSA for this CVE.
Affected products named by the advisory: Red Hat package: kernel-rt.
Is CVE-2026-53121 exploited?
No exploitation is reported in the sources VulniPulse tracks: CVE-2026-53121 is not in the CISA KEV catalog (checked ) and this advisory does not report exploitation. That is not proof the vulnerability cannot be exploited.
How do I fix CVE-2026-53121?
The advisory VulniPulse tracks names no fixed release. Follow Red Hat's guidance for workarounds and updates.
Confirm against the vendor advisory before you patch.
Affected versions
No affected-version range was extracted from the source record. The vendor advisory is authoritative. Check it before change work.
Official advisory · medium-confidence parse· fetched 14 days ago·verify at source
Fixed versions
No fixed release is recorded yet. That does not prove no patch exists. Confirm against the vendor advisory.
Official advisory · medium-confidence parse· fetched 14 days ago·verify at source
Mitigation
The source record does not include mitigation steps. That does not mean no fix exists. Read the vendor advisory below for the authoritative guidance.
Official advisory · medium-confidence parse· fetched 14 days ago·verify at source
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