CVE-2026-100076 staging: rtl8723bs: fix xmit_frame/xmit_buf leaks on mgnt-frame error paths
A memory leak in the rtl8723bs Wi-Fi driver allows attackers to exhaust management TX pools, causing denial of service by preventing beacon and probe responses.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-100076?
CVE-2026-100076 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Sep 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
staging: rtl8723bs: fix xmit_frame/xmit_buf leaks on mgnt-frame error paths
issue_beacon(), issue_probersp() and issue_asocrsp() obtain a management xmit_frame together with its xmit_buf from the driver's fixed-size management-TX pools via alloc_mgtxmitframe(). On the normal path the frame is handed to dump_mgntframe(), which transfers ownership and eventually returns both objects to their pools (the frame and, for beacons, the buf in rtl8723bs_mgnt_xmit(); other bufs via the pending-xmitbuf/TX-completion path).
Several error/edge paths return early after a successful alloc_mgtxmitframe() but before dump_mgntframe(), so ownership is never transferred and neither object is freed:
- issue_beacon(): beacon larger than 512 bytes - issue_probersp(): cur_network->ie_length > MAX_IE_SZ - issue_probersp(): kzalloc() of the SSID scratch buffer fails - issue_asocrsp(): pkt_type is neither ASSOCRSP nor REASSOCRSP
Because alloc_mgtxmitframe() removes the frame and buf from their free lists (list_del_init) without placing them on any pending list, an orphaned pair is on no list and referenced by nobody, so it is only reclaimed at driver teardown. Repeated hits progressively exhaust the management-TX pools until alloc_mgtxmitframe() returns NULL and the interface can no longer send beacons or probe/assoc responses.
Free the frame and buffer on these paths, matching the existing correct error handling in issue_assocreq().
Weakness: CWE-401
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-100076?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2026-100076?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade, then put limits on request size, rate and nesting depth so one client cannot exhaust the service. More about Denial of service.
Is CVE-2026-100076 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-100076 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
Sources
Also known as AZL-104450, BELL-CVE-2026-100076, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-100076, GHSA-hgm4-f6j5-3x27, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-100076.