CVE-2026-98160: Linux kernel · staging: rtl8723bs: fix mismatched free of HalData in rtw_sdio_if1_init()
Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · fixed in ff6d1ba247b5c62bdb678f1069abc86ad88a1402 : update Linux kernel when convenient.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 13:47 UTC
Rated Medium by Threat Radar's AI analysis · CVSS not yet scored by NVD
- 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.
- Patch
- Available – fixed in ff6d1ba247b5c62bdb678f1069abc86ad88a1402, d6158333d630a1b21d8914feaf77a6f5deb185d9, 264676418b726baca7be49171e306b6aa05cceb0 +5
Exploitation 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
Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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AI-suggested
A fix is available in the Linux kernel source as indicated by the fixed commit hashes. Users should update to a kernel version including these fixes. Since this is a kernel memory management bug, no additional mitigations beyond applying the official fix are required.
Description
A memory management vulnerability in the Linux kernel's rtl8723bs driver was fixed by correcting the improper freeing of HalData. The issue involved using kfree() on memory allocated with vzalloc(), which can cause memory corruption. The fix replaces kfree() with the appropriate vfree() via rtw_hal_data_deinit(). No runtime testing was performed due to hardware unavailability, but static analysis and manual inspection confirmed the flaw and its resolution.
References
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/ff6d1ba247b5c62bdb678f1069abc86ad88a1402 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/d6158333d630a1b21d8914feaf77a6f5deb185d9 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/6c017ab2b0e1b60b5be94636c94720347213d78b (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/4520d673d49dabfd42c008a33889251025f7d6d5 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/423574feaed192063ef0cd0813fb85425f39e539 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/737c928ff5092d7e55128a232c231248fc993777 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/911190f0b9511c3c81f2f2484414c1ae26f636b3 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/264676418b726baca7be49171e306b6aa05cceb0 (opens in a new tab)