CVE-2026-98456: Bluetooth: mgmt: fix race in read_unconf_index_list()

Severity: high (CVSS 7.0 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.1% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-10-18 · updated 2026-10-30

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: Bluetooth: mgmt: fix race in read_unconf_index_list() read_unconf_index_list() counts unconfigured controllers before allocating its response, then checks the device flags again while filling it. hci_dev_list_lock stabilizes list membership, but it does not serialize the per-device flags. During asynchronous controller setup, the worker can set HCI_UNCONFIGURED and clear HCI_SETUP between the two passes. A controller omitted from the allocation count can then become eligible for the fill pass, causing an out-of-bounds write to rp->index[]. Allocate space for every device on hci_dev_list. Since list membership cannot change while hci_dev_list_lock is held, the response remains large enough regardless of flag transitions. The reported count and response length still include only eligible unconfigured controllers.

Affected products

Linux: 3.17 — fixed in 7.3

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux 7.3. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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