# CVE-2026-31500: Bluetooth: btintel: serialize btintel_hw_error() with hci_req_sync_lock

> A race condition in the Linux kernel Bluetooth driver allows a use-after-free, potentially causing system crashes or arbitrary code execution.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **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:** Yes
- **Published:** 22 Apr 2026
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-83318, BELL-CVE-2026-31500, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-31500, GHSA-vv93-v48r-h8pj, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2026-31500, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2026-31500, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-13-CVE-2026-31500, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-31500, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2026-31500, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-31500

## What is CVE-2026-31500?

CVE-2026-31500 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 22 Apr 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:

Bluetooth: btintel: serialize btintel_hw_error() with hci_req_sync_lock

btintel_hw_error() issues two __hci_cmd_sync() calls (HCI_OP_RESET
and Intel exception-info retrieval) without holding
hci_req_sync_lock().  This lets it race against
hci_dev_do_close() -> btintel_shutdown_combined(), which also runs
__hci_cmd_sync() under the same lock.  When both paths manipulate
hdev->req_status/req_rsp concurrently, the close path may free the
response skb first, and the still-running hw_error path hits a
slab-use-after-free in kfree_skb().

Wrap the whole recovery sequence in hci_req_sync_lock/unlock so it
is serialized with every other synchronous HCI command issuer.

Below is the data race report and the kasan report:

  BUG: data-race in __hci_cmd_sync_sk / btintel_shutdown_combined

  read of hdev->req_rsp at net/bluetooth/hci_sync.c:199
  by task kworker/u17:1/83:
   __hci_cmd_sync_sk+0x12f2/0x1c30 net/bluetooth/hci_sync.c:200
   __hci_cmd_sync+0x55/0x80 net/bluetooth/hci_sync.c:223
   btintel_hw_error+0x114/0x670 drivers/bluetooth/btintel.c:254
   hci_error_reset+0x348/0xa30 net/bluetooth/hci_core.c:1030

  write/free by task ioctl/22580:
   btintel_shutdown_combined+0xd0/0x360
    drivers/bluetooth/btintel.c:3648
   hci_dev_close_sync+0x9ae/0x2c10 net/bluetooth/hci_sync.c:5246
   hci_dev_do_close+0x232/0x460 net/bluetooth/hci_core.c:526

  BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in
   sk_skb_reason_drop+0x43/0x380 net/core/skbuff.c:1202
  Read of size 4 at addr ffff888144a738dc
  by task kworker/u17:1/83:
   __hci_cmd_sync_sk+0x12f2/0x1c30 net/bluetooth/hci_sync.c:200
   __hci_cmd_sync+0x55/0x80 net/bluetooth/hci_sync.c:223
   btintel_hw_error+0x186/0x670 drivers/bluetooth/btintel.c:260

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-31500?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-31500?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-31500 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-31500 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-31500 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-31500 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 22 Apr 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-31500 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-31500/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-31500/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-31500
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-31500
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-31500

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-31500/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.