CVE-2026-74649: Linux kernel · staging: rtl8723bs: fix missing shared-key auth challenge length check
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 8.8 High · fixed in 5.15.0-1117.124~20.04.1 : patch Linux kernel soon.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 21% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 5.15.0-1117.124~20.04.1, 5.15.0-1123.132~20.04.1, 5.15.0-1122.131~20.04.1 +27
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 22 Aug 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: 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 26 Oct 2026.
What to do
Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinuxpkg:deb/ubuntu/linux?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-awspkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azurepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azure-fdepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure-fde?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gcppkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gcp?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gkepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gke?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
AI-suggested
A patch is available and should be applied to affected Linux kernel versions to enforce proper length checking of the WEP shared-key authentication challenge text. The vulnerability has been fixed by requiring the challenge-text element to be exactly 128 bytes before use. Users should update to patched kernel versions as listed in the affected versions to remediate this issue.
Description
A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's rtl8723bs driver related to WEP shared-key authentication was fixed. The flaw involved missing validation of the challenge-text element length, allowing a malicious access point to cause a buffer overflow or underfill in the driver's 128-byte buffer. This vulnerability is exploitable over the air before association during shared-key authentication. A patch is available to enforce the challenge text length to exactly 128 bytes, preventing out-of-bounds writes and stale memory exposure.
References
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-74649 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/2c56ef658ac8c6bca36bc5574715e8f717207c6c (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/39ae1033071001af9bb4573ebdbb43bbbe88f749 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/4ba402fd47009d20e51dbfc934abb562098ea35b (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/4d018e7d7d908bdfcb5ecfa922b1d5cb9ddb3722 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/6235b5156b48ed5d1ce3410d8f0b2fd67d30d944 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/87c2f073d2aaea041d531b8e579c47570b54b3b7 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/a28a4b0592e4a37ea471bc0d308513a93133ce7e (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-74649 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-74649 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8878-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8879-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8877-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8875-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8886-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8875-2 (opens in a new tab)