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CVE-2026-98160

Full vulnerability record from the local CVENow database.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: staging: rtl8723bs: fix mismatched free of HalData in rtw_sdio_if1_init() padapter->HalData is allocated via vzalloc(), but incorrectly freed using kfree() in the rtw_sdio_if1_init() error path. Using kfree() to release this vmalloc-backed buffer can lead to memory corruption. Use rtw_hal_data_deinit() to pair the free correctly and free HalData with vfree(). The bug was first flagged by an experimental static analysis tool we are developing for kernel memory-management bugs. Manual inspection confirms that the issue is still present in current mainline. An x86_64 allyesconfig build showed no new warnings. As we do not have suitable RTL8723BS SDIO hardware to test with, no runtime testing was able to be performed.

Severity
MEDIUM
CVSS score
5.5 (v3.1)
Vulnerability status
Analyzed
Source identifier
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Published
2026-09-25 14:17:27.627000
Last modified
2026-10-19 10:18:16.280000
View original CVE JSON 
{
  "id": "CVE-2026-98160",
  "sourceIdentifier": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
  "published": "2026-09-25T14:17:27.627",
  "lastModified": "2026-10-19T10:18:16.280",
  "vulnStatus": "Analyzed",
  "cveTags": [],
  "descriptions": [
    {
      "lang": "en",
      "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nstaging: rtl8723bs: fix mismatched free of HalData in rtw_sdio_if1_init()\n\npadapter->HalData is allocated via vzalloc(), but incorrectly freed\nusing kfree() in the rtw_sdio_if1_init() error path. Using kfree() to\nrelease this vmalloc-backed buffer can lead to memory corruption.\n\nUse rtw_hal_data_deinit() to pair the free correctly and free\nHalData with vfree().\n\nThe bug was first flagged by an experimental static analysis tool we\nare developing for kernel memory-management bugs. Manual inspection\nconfirms that the issue is still present in current mainline.\n\nAn x86_64 allyesconfig build showed no new warnings. As we do not have\nsuitable RTL8723BS SDIO hardware to test with, no runtime testing was\nable to be performed."
    }
  ],
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      "affectedData": [
        {
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          "product": "Linux",
          "defaultStatus": "unaffected",
          "programFiles": [
            "drivers/staging/rtl8723bs/os_dep/sdio_intf.c"
          ],
          "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
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              "versionType": "original_commit_for_fix",
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  "metrics": {
    "cvssMetricV31": [
      {
        "source": "[email protected]",
        "type": "Primary",
        "cvssData": {
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          "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H",
          "baseScore": 5.5,
          "baseSeverity": "MEDIUM",
          "attackVector": "LOCAL",
          "attackComplexity": "LOW",
          "privilegesRequired": "LOW",
          "userInteraction": "NONE",
          "scope": "UNCHANGED",
          "confidentialityImpact": "NONE",
          "integrityImpact": "NONE",
          "availabilityImpact": "HIGH"
        },
        "exploitabilityScore": 1.8,
        "impactScore": 3.6
      }
    ]
  },
  "weaknesses": [
    {
      "source": "[email protected]",
      "type": "Primary",
      "description": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "value": "CWE-763"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "configurations": [
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          "operator": "OR",
          "negate": false,
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