CVE-2026-64405 Bluetooth: hci_conn: Fix null ptr deref in hci_abort_conn()
A null pointer dereference in the Linux kernel Bluetooth subsystem allows attackers to cause a system crash via a general protection fault.
- 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-2026-64405?
CVE-2026-64405 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Jul 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: hci_conn: Fix null ptr deref in hci_abort_conn()
hci_abort_conn() read hci_skb_event(hdev->sent_cmd) when a connection was pending, but hdev->sent_cmd can be NULL while req_status is still HCI_REQ_PEND, leading to a NULL pointer dereference and a general protection fault from the hci_rx_work() receive path.
Instead of inspecting hdev->sent_cmd, track the in-flight create connection command with a new per-connection HCI_CONN_CREATE flag and route all cancellation through hci_cancel_connect_sync(), which dispatches to a dedicated per-type cancel function. The create command is in exactly one of two states: still queued, or in flight. The cancel function holds cmd_sync_work_lock across the whole decision: the worker takes this lock to dequeue every entry, so while it is held a queued command cannot start running and an in-flight command cannot complete and let the next command become pending. This keeps the flag test and hci_cmd_sync_cancel() atomic with respect to the worker, so a queued command is simply dequeued, and an in-flight command owned by this connection is cancelled without the risk of cancelling an unrelated command that became pending in the meantime. CIS uses the same flag mechanism via HCI_CONN_CREATE_CIS but cannot be dequeued per-connection.
hci_acl_create_conn_sync() and hci_le_create_conn_sync() clear HCI_CONN_CREATE after the create command completes, but the command status handler can free conn via hci_conn_del() (for example when the controller rejects the connection) while the worker is still blocked on the connection complete event. Hold a reference on conn across the create command so the flag can be cleared without a use-after-free.
Weakness: CWE-476
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-64405?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2026-64405?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Is CVE-2026-64405 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-64405 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
Sources
Also known as AZL-93452, BELL-CVE-2026-64405, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-64405, GHSA-xvhg-76qh-24v9, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-64405, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-64405.