VulnerabilityPublished 18 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-98732: Linux kernel · Bluetooth: btintel: fix buffer over-read in btintel_hw_error()

Source GCVE Database

Authoritative record:CVE-2026-98732

Not known to be exploited · fixed in c42ce5373405ca93946311652c51ccfeb1c2d913 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

Severity

Medium

Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 5% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in c42ce5373405ca93946311652c51ccfeb1c2d913, be58b239d2be5da7a7fac11d3eb8bf75dce6511b, bbc7de352f3f3864369c904aac944c7de84c6e7b +2

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 18 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.

ghsa-ww29-ppp3-6wfc

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 973bb97e5aee56edddaae3d5c96877101ad509c0, < c42ce5373405ca93946311652c51ccfeb1c2d913	Fixed in c42ce5373405ca93946311652c51ccfeb1c2d913
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 973bb97e5aee56edddaae3d5c96877101ad509c0, < be58b239d2be5da7a7fac11d3eb8bf75dce6511b	Fixed in be58b239d2be5da7a7fac11d3eb8bf75dce6511b
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 973bb97e5aee56edddaae3d5c96877101ad509c0, < bbc7de352f3f3864369c904aac944c7de84c6e7b	Fixed in bbc7de352f3f3864369c904aac944c7de84c6e7b
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 973bb97e5aee56edddaae3d5c96877101ad509c0, < 673f707518e8ef03306f84c512cb160971f175fe	Fixed in 673f707518e8ef03306f84c512cb160971f175fe
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 973bb97e5aee56edddaae3d5c96877101ad509c0, < 40eb4b18ad167b63644c27fa67a7400ba050379a	Fixed in 40eb4b18ad167b63644c27fa67a7400ba050379a
LinuxLinux	Affected =4.3	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

A fix has been applied to the Linux kernel to properly bound the print operation in btintel_hw_error(). Users should update to a kernel version that includes this fix. Since this is a kernel-level issue, applying the official kernel patch or upgrading to a fixed kernel release is the recommended remediation.

Description

A buffer over-read vulnerability in the Linux kernel Bluetooth component 'btintel' was fixed. The issue involved reading beyond the end of a 12-byte payload due to improper string termination handling in the btintel_hw_error() function. This could cause out-of-bounds memory access when printing exception information.

Impact

The vulnerability could cause the kernel to read memory beyond the intended buffer, potentially leading to information disclosure or kernel instability. However, no specific exploit or active attacks are known. The impact is limited to the Bluetooth subsystem in the Linux kernel.

Summary

The Linux kernel's Bluetooth 'btintel' driver contained a vulnerability where the function btintel_hw_error() used skb->data + 1 to print exception info without ensuring the 12-byte payload was NUL-terminated. This led to a potential buffer over-read beyond the payload's end. The fix bounded the print operation using a length specifier "%.*s" and limited it to skb->len - 1 bytes, preventing out-of-bounds reads.

References

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