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Response snapshot Oct 27, 2026, 03:12 UTC

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VulnerabilityCVE-2026-63942

Linux kernel: parport: Fix race between port and client registration

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: parport: Fix race between port and client registration The parport subsystem registers port devices before they are fully initialised, resulting in a race condition where client drivers such as lp can attach to ports that are not completely initialised or even being torn down.

At a glance

Exploited
Not known
Severity
7.8 High (CVSS 3.1)
Chance of exploitation
0.1% in the next 30 days
Sources
1 source

What to do

Check the vendor advisory for affected versions and fixes.

Read NVD CVE-2026-63942 (opens a new tab)

What happened

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

parport: Fix race between port and client registration

The parport subsystem registers port devices before they are fully initialised, resulting in a race condition where client drivers such as lp can attach to ports that are not completely initialised or even being torn down.

When the port and client drivers are built as modules and loaded around the same time during boot, this occasionally results in a crash. I was able to make this happen reliably in a VM with a PC-style parallel port by patching parport_pc to fail probing:

Continue reading

> --- a/drivers/parport/parport_pc.c > +++ b/drivers/parport/parport_pc.c > @@ -2069,7 +2069,7 @@ static struct parport *__parport_pc_probe_port(unsigned long int base, > if (!p) > goto out3; > > - base_res = request_region(base, 3, p->name); > + base_res = NULL; > if (!base_res) > goto out4; >

and then running:

while true; do modprobe lp & modprobe parport_pc wait rmmod lp parport_pc done

for a few seconds.

In the long term I think port registration should be changed to put the call to device_add() inside parport_announce_port(), but since the latter currently cannot fail this will require changing all port drivers.

For now, add a flag to indicate whether a port has been "announced" and only try to attach client drivers to ports when the flag is set.

Scores and how they were measured

CVSS base severity

7.8

Version 3.1As of

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Measurement source (opens a new tab)

How bad it is if exploited. Not a prediction of exploitation or proof you are exposed.

EPSS probability

0.1%

Scored Percentile 2.7%

Model and measurement source (opens a new tab)

A model's estimate of exploitation in the next 30 days, not certainty or your own risk.

Related technology

Sources

  1. Primary source

    NVD CVE-2026-63942 (opens a new tab)

    NVD record: description, CVSS (the CNA score is preferred), affected products, and publication date. Not evidence of exploitation.

    Published Checked

  2. Primary source

    NVD CVE API 2.0 (opens a new tab)

    The NVD API page that supplied this CVE record.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

  3. Primary source

    NVD CVE API 2.0 (opens a new tab)

    The NVD API page that supplied this CVE record.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

  4. Primary source

    FIRST measured EPSS score (opens a new tab)

    Measured EPSS probability and percentile for CVE-2026-63942, scored 2026-10-26. This is a model estimate, not proof of exposure.

    Published Checked

Cite this record

For factual claims, cite the primary sources above; cite KEVWire for its compilation, dates, and classifications.

APA

KEVWire. (2026, October 26). Linux kernel: parport: Fix race between port and client registration (CVE-2026-63942). https://kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-63942

MLA

"Linux kernel: parport: Fix race between port and client registration (CVE-2026-63942)." KEVWire, 26 Oct. 2026, kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-63942.

Chicago

KEVWire. "Linux kernel: parport: Fix race between port and client registration (CVE-2026-63942)." Last modified October 26, 2026. https://kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-63942.

Evidence summary (plain text)

Linux kernel: parport: Fix race between port and client registration (Jul 19, 2026).
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

parport: Fix race between port and client registration

The parport subsystem registers port devices before they are fully
initialised, resulting in a race condition where client drivers such
as lp can attach to ports that are not completely initialised or even
being torn down.

When the port and client drivers are built as modules and loaded
around the same time during boot, this occasionally results in a
crash.  I was able to make this happen reliably in a VM with a
PC-style parallel port by patching parport_pc to fail probing:

> --- a/drivers/parport/parport_pc.c
> +++ b/drivers/parport/parport_pc.c
> @@ -2069,7 +2069,7 @@ static struct parport *__parport_pc_probe_port(unsigned long int base,
>  	if (!p)
>  		goto out3;
>
> -	base_res = request_region(base, 3, p->name);
> +	base_res = NULL;
>  	if (!base_res)
>  		goto out4;
>

and then running:

    while true; do
        modprobe lp & modprobe parport_pc
	wait
	rmmod lp parport_pc
    done

for a few seconds.

In the long term I think port registration should be changed to put
the call to device_add() inside parport_announce_port(), but since the
latter currently cannot fail this will require changing all port
drivers.

For now, add a flag to indicate whether a port has been "announced"
and only try to attach client drivers to ports when the flag is set.
CVSS 7.8 (version 3.1; evidence as of Oct 26, 2026; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-63942).
EPSS 0.1% for the following 30 days, scored Oct 26, 2026 (https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss?cve=CVE-2026-63942&date=2026-10-26).
Sources:
NVD CVE-2026-63942: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-63942
NVD CVE API 2.0: https://services.nvd.nist.gov/rest/json/cves/2.0?lastModStartDate=2026-10-26T13:11:54.490Z&lastModEndDate=2026-10-26T14:45:57.368Z&resultsPerPage=500&startIndex=0
NVD CVE API 2.0: https://services.nvd.nist.gov/rest/json/cves/2.0?lastModStartDate=2026-10-26T12:40:01.998Z&lastModEndDate=2026-10-26T14:10:55.205Z&resultsPerPage=500&startIndex=500
FIRST measured EPSS score: https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss?cve=CVE-2026-63942&date=2026-10-26
Record ID: CVE-2026-63942.
Record origin: Ingested record.
AI evidence: Not assessed.
Known exploitation: Not assessed.
Zero-day status: Not assessed. KEV membership alone does not establish zero-day status.
About this data

This record was ingested from a data source. Retrieved: Oct 27, 2026, 01:40 UTC. Ingestion is not an independent editorial investigation.

NVD status: Analyzed. Publication in the NVD is not evidence of exploitation.

A CISA KEV listing documents known exploitation, not necessarily a zero-day; absence from the catalog does not prove a vulnerability has never been exploited.

Technology tags indicate possible relevance, not verified exposure. Confirm the affected product, version, and configuration against your own inventory; KEVWire does not scan your systems.

A personal reading checklist on this device, not verified remediation.

Record JSON

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Record details

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