SEPTEMBER 17, 2026
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Case File

CVE-2026-14986

MEDIUM · CVSS 6.8 EPSS 0.18% Public Exploit

Source: NVD + CISA KEV + EPSS · Published 2026-09-14 · Last synced 2026-09-17

CyberRota Analysis

AI-Generated

The ITE it51xxx I2C driver is vulnerable when operating as an I2C target in buffer mode, allowing an attacker to exploit out-of-bounds writes due to insufficient bounds checking during data copying. This vulnerability can lead to system crashes or potential code execution, making it critical for developers and security teams managing devices with this driver to prioritize patching. Organizations using I2C devices in environments where untrusted masters may be present should take immediate action to mitigate the risks associated with this flaw.

Public Exploit Signal

A public exploit, PoC, GitHub repository or Metasploit reference was detected for this CVE.

Detected Signals
code execution

Note: these links are listed for security research and verification purposes only.

CVE
CVE-2026-14986
Severity
MEDIUM
CVSS
6.8
EPSS
0.18%

Original NVD Description

The ITE it51xxx I2C driver, when operating as an I2C target (slave) in buffer mode (CONFIG_I2C_TARGET + CONFIG_I2C_TARGET_BUFFER_MODE), copies host-supplied write data into the fixed-size data->target_in_buffer inside its target FIFO interrupt handler target_i2c_isr_fifo() in drivers/i2c/i2c_ite_it51xxx.c. The copy loop stores to target_in_buffer[i + data->w_index] and only checks data->w_index against sizeof(data->target_in_buffer) after the write has already completed, so the bounds check cannot prevent the overflow. The running index data->w_index accumulates count bytes on every FIFO-fill interrupt of an ongoing transaction and is reset to zero only on a STOP or timeout condition. An I2C host that streams a single write transaction longer than the buffer (default CONFIG_I2C_TARGET_IT51XXX_MAX_BUF_SIZE = 256 bytes) drives data->w_index past the end of the buffer, and each subsequent host byte is written out of bounds into the adjacent data->target_out_buffer and following static device data. The trigger is a malicious or misbehaving I2C master on the same bus (for example a compromised application processor or a rogue device on an exposed I2C bus); no software privilege on the victim is required and the handler runs in the target's kernel/firmware context. Because both the written values and the overflow length are attacker-controlled, this is an out-of-bounds write that can crash the controller or be shaped toward code execution. The fix adds a pre-write bounds check in target_i2c_fifo_read_to_buf() that aborts and resets the FIFO before any out-of-bounds store.