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CVE-2026-98735

Linux: Bluetooth: hci_core: Serialize ACL scheduling with channel deletion

Linux LinuxOperating systems
CVSS
NoneNot scored
ExploitationNo known exploitationNot in CISA KEV, which does not prove it is unexploitedCISA KEV
Exploit odds (EPSS)0.17%Chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 5% of CVEs. Scored 23 Oct 2026FIRST EPSS
Fixed in780affacd92977fd9b819bdc4f26a6832cb27fdaAlso 51f95ea451f25d7e3f048c0f438f04fa74688aae, 86e9708f9d19a7f1bd5dc9c1652d07707f79f5bd and 1 moreCVE List
Published18 Oct 2026Updated 21 Oct 2026CVE List

What fixes it

  • 780affacd92977fd9b819bdc4f26a6832cb27fdaLinuxCVE List
  • 51f95ea451f25d7e3f048c0f438f04fa74688aaeLinuxCVE List
  • 86e9708f9d19a7f1bd5dc9c1652d07707f79f5bdLinuxCVE List
  • 4fda8f0abeea9929036446d89a476fb8298abcb0LinuxCVE List

A fixed version on one release line is not the upgrade target for every line. Check your exact version and any vendor backports.

Description

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

Bluetooth: hci_core: Serialize ACL scheduling with channel deletion

hci_chan_sent() selects a channel under RCU but drops the read lock before accessing chan->conn and returning the channel. The ACL and LE schedulers then use its packet queue and update its transmit counters without any protection against channel deletion.

After TX selects a channel and releases RCU, a disconnect command timeout on the separate request workqueue can run hci_conn_failed() and l2cap_conn_del(). hci_chan_del() can then unlink the channel, complete synchronize_rcu(), purge its queue and free it before TX resumes. This causes use-after-free both in hci_chan_sent() and in its callers.

KASAN reported:

BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in hci_chan_sent+0x892/0x9b0 Workqueue: hci0 hci_tx_work Call Trace: hci_chan_sent+0x892/0x9b0 hci_tx_work+0x5e6/0xb70 Allocated by task 91: hci_chan_create+0xe3/0x350 l2cap_conn_add.part.0+0x12/0xa30 l2cap_chan_connect+0x110d/0x1b60 l2cap_sock_connect+0x310/0x530 Freed by task 99: hci_chan_del+0x11f/0x170 l2cap_conn_del+0x4f1/0x800 l2cap_connect_cfm+0x88c/0xd30 hci_conn_failed+0x150/0x250 hci_abort_conn_sync+0x3e3/0x800 hci_cmd_sync_run+0x7e/0xc0 hci_abort_conn+0x105/0x1f0 disconnect_sync+0x157/0x290 hci_cmd_sync_work+0x13c/0x290

Hold the existing device mutex across channel selection and transmission in both schedulers to serialize them with channel teardown. Keep timeout handling outside the critical sections because hci_link_tx_to() acquires the same mutex. This also permits the transmit path to sleep, unlike extending the RCU read-side critical section across packet submission.

Text from CVE List

Affected versions 12

  • Linuxaffected: 3eff45eaf81780dad25c167bbaafa7d25ae407da before 780affacd92977fd9b819bdc4f26a6832cb27fdaCVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 3eff45eaf81780dad25c167bbaafa7d25ae407da before 51f95ea451f25d7e3f048c0f438f04fa74688aaeCVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 3eff45eaf81780dad25c167bbaafa7d25ae407da before 86e9708f9d19a7f1bd5dc9c1652d07707f79f5bdCVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 3eff45eaf81780dad25c167bbaafa7d25ae407da before 4fda8f0abeea9929036446d89a476fb8298abcb0CVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 3eff45eaf81780dad25c167bbaafa7d25ae407da before f4845ab191a4f686a5da481fbba90ed73bb693b0CVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 3.3CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: all versions before 3.3CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 6.6.160 through 6.6.*CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 6.12.113 through 6.12.*CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 6.18.56 through 6.18.*CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 7.2.10 through 7.2.*CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 7.3CVE List

References 5