VulnerabilityPublished 6 Oct 2026Updated 19 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-98246: Linux kernel · Bluetooth: hci_sync: Serialize local codec list cleanup

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · fixed in 1276c2fafd18499769a28f96f45c5a76d6fc990e : patch Linux kernel soon.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 12:55 UTC

Severity

High

Rated High by Threat Radar's AI analysis · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 6% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 1276c2fafd18499769a28f96f45c5a76d6fc990e, 560ed4373c06a58123ecdf9ad5ecaddc87a73382, 9f407d52c0d881430d689836d3e7d32aa36f98b5 +5

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 6 Oct 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.

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.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, 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 >=6.1.57 <6.1.189 >=6.5.7 <6.6	Fixed in 1276c2fafd18499769a28f96f45c5a76d6fc990e 560ed4373c06a58123ecdf9ad5ecaddc87a73382 9f407d52c0d881430d689836d3e7d32aa36f98b5 9a10987a2f160a44a638c9a35994ca6e3089696e 6.6 6.1.189 4dc1ae5ff75b17e17ec4b74b11cc4b0099e71e00 1ee0c5429dc4a92879bda2554b1bfd4abc6c587c
LinuxLinux	Affected =6.6	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

A fix is available in Linux kernel versions 6.1.189, 6.6, and later. Users and administrators should upgrade affected Linux kernel versions to these fixed releases or later to remediate the vulnerability.

Description

A use-after-free vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel's Bluetooth subsystem due to improper locking around the local codec list cleanup in hci_dev_close_sync(). This flaw allows a race condition where a Bluetooth codec list entry can be accessed after it has been freed, potentially causing kernel memory corruption.

Impact

This vulnerability can lead to use-after-free memory corruption in the Linux kernel Bluetooth stack. Such corruption may cause kernel crashes or potentially allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges if exploited. However, no known exploits are reported in the wild.

Summary

The vulnerability in the Linux kernel Bluetooth hci_sync component arises because hci_dev_close_sync() clears the local codec list without holding the hdev->lock, while codec list traversals and additions in sco_sock_getsockopt() do use this lock. This leads to a race condition where a close operation and a codec query can interleave, causing a use-after-free scenario. The kernel address sanitizer (KASAN) detects slab-use-after-free errors triggered by this race. The fix involves taking the hdev->lock around the clear operation to serialize access, ensuring that the clear waits for active readers and prevents new traversals until the list is empty, without changing the teardown order.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 26 Oct 2026, 12:08 UTC

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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