Vulnerability · Published Jul 6, 2026 · Assigned by GitHub_M
CVE-2026-42546OP-TEE has missing OPTEE_MSG_ATTR_TYPE_MASK in cleanup_shm_refs() leaks mobj references
Low 3.8
In plain English
A low-severity resource allocation without limits in optee_os from OP-TEE. There are no confirmed reports of exploitation so far. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 0.2% (higher than 4% of all known vulnerabilities).
Official description
OP-TEE is a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) designed as companion to a non-secure Linux kernel running on Arm; Cortex-A cores using the TrustZone technology. Starting in version 3.3.0 and prior to version 4.11.0, a resource leak exists in OP-TEE’s shared memory cleanup logic because the function `cleanup_shm_refs()` in `core/tee/entry_std.c` fails to apply a required bitmask (`OPTEE_MSG_ATTR_TYPE_MASK`) to parameter attributes. When processing non-contiguous memory parameters from a normal-world caller, the system fails to match the attribute type in its internal switch statement and skips the necessary mobj_put() call. This results in a persistent reference leak of `mobj_reg_shm` objects, which remain on internal lists with dangling refcounts. This affects non-FF-A configurations that support non-contiguous, non-secure shared memory. Over time, these accumulated leaks progressively consume the secure-world heap, degrading the system's ability to service trusted application operations and eventually requiring a reboot to recover. Version 4.11.0 contains a patch. No known workarounds are available.
Affected packages & fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:13 | optee-os | no fix listed | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-42546 |
| Ubuntu:25.10 | optee-os | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-42546 |
| Ubuntu:26.04:LTS | optee-os | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-42546 |
| Ubuntu:26.10 | optee-os | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-42546 |
Affected products (as reported)
Weakness: CWE-770 · Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:L
References
- https://github.com/OP-TEE/optee_os/security/advisories/GHSA-c7j8-fgqw-rcgp x_refsource_CONFIRM