CVE-2026-98160: Linux kernel · staging: rtl8723bs: fix mismatched free of HalData in rtw_sdio_if1_init()
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.5 Medium.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 1% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 25 Sep 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
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 fix is available as the vulnerability has been resolved in the Linux kernel rtl8723bs staging driver by correcting the free operation to use vfree() via rtw_hal_data_deinit(). Users should update to patched versions of the linux-azure kernel. Since no runtime testing was performed, caution is advised, but the patch addresses the memory corruption issue directly.
Description
A memory management vulnerability in the Linux kernel's rtl8723bs staging driver was fixed. The issue involved incorrect freeing of a vmalloc-allocated buffer using kfree(), which can cause memory corruption. The fix replaces the improper kfree() call with the correct vfree() via rtw_hal_data_deinit(). The vulnerability affects specific linux-azure kernel versions and has a medium severity rating.
References
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-98160 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98160 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/423574feaed192063ef0cd0813fb85425f39e539 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/6c017ab2b0e1b60b5be94636c94720347213d78b (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/ff6d1ba247b5c62bdb678f1069abc86ad88a1402 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/264676418b726baca7be49171e306b6aa05cceb0 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/737c928ff5092d7e55128a232c231248fc993777 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/4520d673d49dabfd42c008a33889251025f7d6d5 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/d6158333d630a1b21d8914feaf77a6f5deb185d9 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/911190f0b9511c3c81f2f2484414c1ae26f636b3 (opens in a new tab)
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98160 (opens in a new tab)
- msrc.microsoft.com/csaf/vex/2026/msrc_cve-2026-98160.json (opens in a new tab)
- support.microsoft.com/lifecycle (opens in a new tab)
- first.org/cvss (opens in a new tab)