VulnerabilityPublished 25 Jun 2026Updated 6 Nov 2026

CVE-2026-53252: Linux kernel · Bluetooth: fix memory leak in error path of hci_alloc_dev()

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · fixed in f82799407a50af7bcacacf09cc9b279af8fe9b81 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 6 Nov 2026, 17:04 UTC

Severity

Unrated

Rated by Threat Radar · No CVSS score from NVD or the CNA

Thin evidence

One scorer or none

Exploitation: No evidence of active exploitation and no public proof of concept
Automatable: Attackers cannot reliably automate steps 1–4 of the kill chain
Technical impact: Limited control over the software or limited information exposure

CISA SSVC assessment, 2026-11-06.

Patch

Available – fixed in f82799407a50af7bcacacf09cc9b279af8fe9b81, ce4b4cac3c5749b6aa75e62e2991ae2263f2f889, c016118b9e51eeaf5bc93850d4c455a3b583c0aa +10

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 25 Jun 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 6 Nov 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected >=5.15.209 <5.15.210 >=6.1.167 <6.1.176 >=6.6.97 <6.6.143 >=6.12.36 <6.12.94 >=5.10.259 <5.11 >=6.15.5 <6.16	Fixed in f82799407a50af7bcacacf09cc9b279af8fe9b81 ce4b4cac3c5749b6aa75e62e2991ae2263f2f889 c016118b9e51eeaf5bc93850d4c455a3b583c0aa bc2efe73c194a74839d7cf57b63880d97e21d309 0622e527a31d4b44737fed5c1a2ac1fc2cfb5184 37b3009bf5976e8ab77c8b9a9bc3bbd7ff49e37f 6.16 6.12.94 6.6.143 6.1.176 5b7dfca6f852e6b9d809fd0263b5427cc9fb33fd 5.15.210 5.11
LinuxLinux	Affected =6.16	Fixed in–

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: Bluetooth: fix memory leak in error path of hci_alloc_dev() Early failures in Bluetooth HCI UART configuration leak SRCU percpu memory. When device initialization fails before hci_register_dev() completes, the HCI_UNREGISTER flag is never set. As a result, when the device reference count reaches zero, bt_host_release() evaluates this flag as false and falls back to a direct kfree(hdev). Because hci_release_dev() is bypassed, the SRCU struct initialized early in hci_alloc_dev() is never cleaned up, resulting in a leak of percpu memory. Fix the leak by explicitly calling cleanup_srcu_struct() in the fallback (unregistered) branch of bt_host_release() before freeing the device.

References

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