---
id: CVE-2026-10669
title: >-
  Xtensa MPU `arch_buffer_validate()` integer-overflow lets a user thread bypass
  syscall pointer validation
summary: >-
  On Xtensa SoCs built with CONFIG_XTENSA_MPU and CONFIG_USERSPACE,
  arch_buffer_validate() in arch/xtensa/core/mpu.c — the architecture hook that
  verifies a user-mode-supplied buffer is accessible to the calling user thread
  with the reques…
severity: high
cvss: 7.8
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'
cvssSource: cna
cwe:
  - CWE-787
vendor: zephyrproject
product: zephyr
affected:
  - zephyr >= 3.7.0 < 4.3.1
  - zephyr >= 4.4.0 < 4.4.1
ssvc:
  exploitation: none
  automatable: 'no'
  technicalImpact: total
  timestamp: '2026-07-14T15:30:37.607534Z'
published: '2026-07-14'
updated: '2026-10-15'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-15T22:10:14.176Z'
source: CVEORG
sourceUrl: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-10669'
references:
  - url: >-
      https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/commit/3b1bdaf5482188ca110ef9a411aaa8c7d3db3b16
    label: Fix commit
  - url: >-
      https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/security/advisories/GHSA-4r4p-gh69-v6w4
    label: GHSA-4r4p-gh69-v6w4
tags:
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00177
epssPercentile: 0.06775
ingestedAt: '2026-10-15T22:48:25.568Z'
---

## Overview

On Xtensa SoCs built with CONFIG_XTENSA_MPU and CONFIG_USERSPACE, arch_buffer_validate() in arch/xtensa/core/mpu.c — the architecture hook that verifies a user-mode-supplied buffer is accessible to the calling user thread with the requested permission — defaulted its return value to 0 (access permitted) and only set a denial result inside its per-MPU-region probe loop. When the rounded extent of the buffer wraps the 32-bit address space (size + alignment offset near SIZE_MAX, or ROUND_UP(size + offset) overflowing to 0), the loop executes zero iterations and the function returns 0 = permitted without probing any MPU region.

The syscall-layer pre-checks (K_SYSCALL_MEMORY_SIZE_CHECK / Z_DETECT_POINTER_OVERFLOW) only catch a raw addr+size wrap and do not cover the ROUND_UP-induced wrap, and the string path (arch_user_string_nlen -> arch_buffer_validate) has no syscall-layer guard at all.

An unprivileged user-mode thread can therefore pass a crafted (addr, size) to any syscall that validates user buffers via k_usermode_from_copy/to_copy or k_usermode_string_copy and have validation succeed for memory it must not access; the kernel then reads from (disclosure) or, with write=1, writes to (corruption) attacker-chosen kernel or other-partition memory on the thread's behalf, enabling information disclosure, memory corruption, privilege escalation, and denial of service.

Affected from v3.7.0 (when Xtensa MPU userspace support was added) through v4.4.0. The fix changes the default to -EINVAL (deny by default), adds an explicit size_add_overflow check, and sets the success value only after the full range has been validated.

## Affected

- `zephyr >= 3.7.0 < 4.3.1`
- `zephyr >= 4.4.0 < 4.4.1`

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.