Vulnerability · CVE-2026-9771
Missing device-pointer validation in flash_copy() syscall allows userspace privilege escalation
Published Aug 17, 2026 · catalog updated Nov 4, 2026 · Missing device-pointer validation in
Last checked Nov 5, 2026. A connected source was read within the last 7 days.
Check if you run it
No confirmed exploitation is on record for CVE-2026-9771. EPSS is 0.14%. Act only if a listed version of Missing device-pointer validation in is installed.
Gaps on this record
- The stored product name is a package slug. The name on this page is taken from the title (Missing device-pointer validation in).
- No version range is stored. A customer cannot check an installed version against this record.
- No vendor fix or required action is stored. Compare the linked advisory before you change production.
Same product and reporting
- CVE-2026-87044 · Medium
- CVE-2026-87043 · Medium
- CVE-2026-87041 · High
- CVE-2026-87040 · High
- CVE-2026-87039 · High
- Severity
- High8.8
- Known exploitation
- Not in CISA/VulnCheck KEV
- EPSS
- 0.14%
- Remediation
- Advisory link
- Affected products
- vendor zephyrproject zephyr
The flash_copy() system call is verified by z_vrfy_flash_copy() in drivers/flash/flash_util.c. On builds with CONFIG_USERSPACE enabled, this handler is the kernel-side trust boundary for a user-mode caller. Prior to the fix it validated only the output buffer (K_SYSCALL_MEMORY_WRITE) and passed the two struct device * arguments, src_dev and dst_dev, directly into the implementation without any object validation — unlike every sibling flash syscall, which guards its device pointer with K_SYSCALL_DRIVER_FLASH. A user-mode thread fully controls the values of src_dev/dst_dev and the contents of its own address space. The implementation z_impl_flash_copy() dereferences these pointers and calls through their driver-API function tables (e.g. api->get_parameters(dst_dev), flash_read(src_dev, ...), flash_write(dst_dev, ...)). By supplying a pointer to a forged struct device whose api table contains attacker-chosen function pointers, an unprivileged thread can cause the kernel to call arbitrary code in supervisor mode; passing any arbitrary or invalid address otherwise yields a kernel crash or out-of-bounds read. The result is a local privilege escalation out of the userspace sandbox (with kernel denial-of-service and information disclosure as lesser outcomes). The fix adds K_SYSCALL_DRIVER_FLASH(src_dev, read) and K_SYSCALL_DRIVER_FLASH(dst_dev, write) to z_vrfy_flash_copy(), which verify each device is a registered flash-driver kernel object the calling thread is permitted to use before any dereference, closing the path completely.
Are you affected?
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- vendor zephyrproject zephyrversion unspecified
How to fix CVE-2026-9771
No stored fix
No vendor fix text is stored. Use the linked advisory before you change production.
Version check
No version range is stored, so an installed version cannot be checked on this page.
Advisory
Open the cve_org record and follow its fix.
Official advisories
What to do
Three questions, each answered from this record only. Confirm the vendor advisory before you patch.
Should you patch?
No confirmed exploitation is on record for CVE-2026-9771. EPSS is 0.14%. Act only if a listed version of Missing device-pointer validation in is installed.
Which versions are affected?
Affected version ranges are not on this record. Compare the installed version with the linked vendor advisory before you change production.
What should an analyst verify?
CWE-822; CWE-862: Missing Authorization. EPSS 0.14%. There is no CISA KEV listing. No Exploit-DB or Metasploit reference is linked. Use the source links for the original advisory.
Code
The project this record applies to. Exploit listings stay in References.
Timeline
Detection, updates, and resolution for this record.
Nov 4, 2026 · Tenable CVE Database
Detected
The flash_copy() system call is verified by z_vrfy_flash_copy() in drivers/flash/flash_util.c. On builds with CONFIG_USERSPACE enabled, this handler is the kernel-side trust boundary for a user-mode caller. Prior to the fix it validated only the output buffer (K_SYSCALL_MEMORY_WRITE) and passed the two struct device * arguments, src_dev and dst_dev, directly into the implementation without any obj
Nov 4, 2026 · CVE.org
Updated
The flash_copy() system call is verified by z_vrfy_flash_copy() in drivers/flash/flash_util.c. On builds with CONFIG_USERSPACE enabled, this handler is the kernel-side trust boundary for a user-mode caller. Prior to the fix it validated only the output buffer (K_SYSCALL_MEMORY_WRITE) and passed the two struct device * arguments, src_dev and dst_dev, directly into the implementation without any obj
Sources
- CVE.orgVulnerability recordCVE-2026-9771
The flash_copy() system call is verified by z_vrfy_flash_copy() in drivers/flash/flash_util.c. On builds with CONFIG_USERSPACE enabled, this handler is the kernel-side trust boundary for a user-mode caller. Prior to the fix it validated only the output buffer (K_SYSCALL_MEMORY_WR
cve.org - Tenable CVE DatabaseVulnerability recordCVE-2026-9771
The flash_copy() system call is verified by z_vrfy_flash_copy() in drivers/flash/flash_util.c. On builds with CONFIG_USERSPACE enabled, this handler is the kernel-side trust boundary for a user-mode caller. Prior to the fix it validated only the output buffer (K_SYSCALL_MEMORY_WRITE) and passed the two struct device * arguments, src_dev and dst_dev, directly into the implementation without any obj
tenable.com
References
Freshness
Last verified in this catalog Nov 4, 2026. Significant claims (KEV, EPSS, CVSS, affected ranges) come from the source rows above — open the original publisher for the authoritative advisory.
- CVE.orgNov 5, 2026
- Tenable CVE DatabaseNov 4, 2026