# CVE-2026-64442: staging: rtl8723bs: fix OOB reads in IE loops in issue_assocreq() and join_cmd_hdl()

> A malicious access point can trigger out-of-bounds reads in the rtl8723bs Wi-Fi driver, potentially leaking memory or causing a system crash.

- **Severity:** High 8.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 25 Jul 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-64442, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-64442, GHSA-9c3c-vw6j-5852, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2026-64442, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-64442, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-64442

## What is CVE-2026-64442?

CVE-2026-64442 is a high-severity memory corruption 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:

staging: rtl8723bs: fix OOB reads in IE loops in issue_assocreq() and join_cmd_hdl()

Two IE parsing loops are missing the header bounds checks before they
dereference pIE->length:

 - issue_assocreq() walks pmlmeinfo->network.ies to build the
   association request. If the stored IE data ends with only an
   element_id byte and no length byte, pIE->length is read one byte
   past the end of the buffer.

 - join_cmd_hdl() walks pnetwork->ies during station join and has
   the same problem under the same conditions.

Both buffers are filled from AP beacon and probe-response frames, so a
malicious AP that sends a truncated final IE can trigger the issue.

Apply the two-guard pattern established in update_beacon_info():
  1. Break if fewer than sizeof(*pIE) bytes remain.
  2. Break if the IE's declared data extends past the buffer end.

Weakness: CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-64442?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-64442?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-64442 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-64442 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-2026-64442 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-64442 is a high-severity memory corruption 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.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-64442 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-2026-64442/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-64442/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64442
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-64442
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-64442

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-64442/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.