CVE-2026-90338 — serial: amba-pl011: keep console clock enabled for atomic writes
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: serial: amba-pl011: keep console clock enabled for atomic writes pl011_console_write_atomic() runs from nbcon atomic context, where sleeping is not allowed. It calls clk_enable(), which takes the common-clk enable_lock. Under PREEMPT_RT that is a sleeping lock: clk_enable_lock() first tries spin_trylock_irqsave(), but on contention falls back to spin_lock_irqsave(). Therefore, an atomic-context printk on an RT kernel with a clk-backed pl011 can trip: BUG: sleeping function called from invalid context at spinlock_rt.c:48 __might_resched from rt_spin_lock rt_spin_lock from clk_enable_lock clk_enable_lock from clk_enable clk_enable from pl011_console_write_atomic ... from vprintk_emit This was found and reproduced on PREEMPT_RT. Arm32 and arm64 DT SoCs are affected; arm64 SBSA/ACPI has no clk, so clk_enable(NULL) short-circuits before the lock. In addition, write_atomic() may be invoked from NMI context and is documented to avoid locking. Removing clk_enable() from the callback also avoids a potentially unsafe NMI acquisition of the common-clock enable_lock. An nbcon atomic-capable console must be printable from any context, so the clock cannot be gated between writes. Enable the clock while the console is available for output: use clk_prepare_enable() in pl011_console_setup(), release it via clk_disable_unprepare() in the console .exit() callback, and drop the per-write clk_enable()/clk_disable() pairs from write_atomic() and write_thread(). When printk suspends consoles, drop the reference after uart_suspend_port() stops console access and restore it before uart_resume_port() -- but only if suspend actually marked the port suspended (a wake-capable tty stays running and must keep its clock), and keep it when console_suspend_enabled is false so no_console_suspend works. The active power cost of keeping the clock enabled is platform-dependent: none where the UART clock is a fixed always-on oscillator, real where it is a gateable clock branch, which then cannot be gated (nor possibly can its parent clocks) while the console is available for output. When serial core actually suspends the port, the reference is released so the clock provider can gate the clock tree.
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- EPSS 0.2% (30-day exploitation probability)+1
The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Linux Linux).
- No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
- Search available logs for exploit probes, errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | ≥ 2eb2608618ce5878e11bbe68cc8d2699c8f3a81a and < 5b77848423f4a5a362dcc3caedcdc1a75d0758c3≥ 2eb2608618ce5878e11bbe68cc8d2699c8f3a81a and < 2ad24c1d0b939d814a3020f96a667ac2d0394289≥ 2eb2608618ce5878e11bbe68cc8d2699c8f3a81a and < c0e8cfef754645856374e82c8effd54b7d82002bversion 6.15 | Vulnerable | CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
EPSS over time FIRST
Oct 15, 2026 → Oct 18, 2026 · 3 reading(s) · max 0.21%
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.
- Not enough vector or weakness data: use the affected application’s logs as a starting point.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Record published
- Affected products added · linux/linux
- Source status changed · → Received
- Record created in this database
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 15, 2026 – Oct 15, 2026
References
3 on the record
Elsewhere on this site
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Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No CVSS score published by NVD, the CNA, CISA or GitHub so far.
- No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
- No CISA SSVC assessment.
- No CWE classification.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record
Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2026-90338 is "serial: amba-pl011: keep console clock enabled for atomic writes", rated Unknown. It affects Linux (Linux); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. EPSS 0.21% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.
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