---
id: "CVE-2026-99208"
kind: "vulnerability"
aliases: ["CVE-2026-99208"]
title: "Linux kernel: Intel Xe OA buffer can leak stale kernel memory to userspace"
severity: "unknown"
cvss: null
epss: null
exploited: false
status: "open"
category: "package"
products: []
ecosystems: []
tags: ["intel-xe", "linux-kernel", "package", "self-hosted"]
not_affected_if: ["default-config", "no-intel-xe-gpu"]
published_at: "2026-10-28T11:17:42+00:00"
first_seen_at: "2026-10-28T11:32:37+00:00"
updated_at: "2026-10-28T11:33:53+00:00"
sources: [{"source": "nvd", "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-99208", "first_seen_at": "2026-10-28T11:32:37+00:00"}]
---

# Linux kernel: Intel Xe OA buffer can leak stale kernel memory to userspace

The Intel Xe graphics driver in the Linux kernel allocated the observation (OA) buffer without zeroing it, and that buffer can be mapped by userspace. A local process could read leftover contents of previously freed kernel pages through that mapping.

_Summary, check and fix written by a model from the sources; labelled as such._

## How to check

- unknown

## Fix

- Update to a Linux kernel release that includes upstream commit 126c4c5388f9311a390b9b254a835b0cf0f55331 (drm/xe/oa: Zero OA buffer at allocation); the sources do not name the fixed version numbers.

## Timeline

- 2026-10-28T11:32:37+00:00 nvd https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-99208

## From the sources

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

drm/xe/oa: Zero OA buffer at allocation

ttm_bo_type_kernel BOs are not guaranteed to be zeroed on allocation and
may contain data from previously freed pages. Since the OA buffer is
mmap'able by userspace, this can expose stale kernel memory contents.

Streams opened with DRM_XE_OA_PROPERTY_OA_DISABLED allocate the OA
buffer without calling xe_oa_init_oa_buffer(). Zero the buffer at
allocation to prevent information disclosure through mmap.

The existing zeroing in xe_oa_init_oa_buffer() remains necessary for
zero report-id/timestamp detection on enable/re-enable.

(cherry picked from commit 126c4c5388f9311a390b9b254a835b0cf0f55331)

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