Linux Kernel Reference Leak Vulnerability in ASoC WCD934X Codecs

A reference leak vulnerability has been identified in the Linux kernel's ASoC (ALSA System on Chip) component, specifically within the WCD934X codecs. The issue arises because the device_node pointer, returned by the of_parse_phandle() function with an incremented reference count, is not properly released using of_node_put() after it is no longer needed. This oversight can lead to a memory leak by failing to decrement the reference count, potentially causing resource management issues. The vulnerability has been addressed by adding the missing of_node_put() call in the WCD934X codec data parsing function.

Impact

Exploitation of this vulnerability leads to a memory leak by failing to properly manage reference counts, which can cause resource exhaustion over time.