# CVE-2026-68389: Bluetooth: hci_qca: Clear memdump state on invalid dump size

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel Bluetooth driver allows attackers to cause denial of service or execute arbitrary code via malformed dump sizes.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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:** 10 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 17 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-68389, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-68389, GHSA-ghf3-w254-j47x, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-68389

## What is CVE-2026-68389?

CVE-2026-68389 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 10 Aug 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_qca: Clear memdump state on invalid dump size

qca_controller_memdump() allocates qca->qca_memdump before processing
the first dump packet. For a sequence-zero packet it then disables IBS,
marks memdump collection active, and reads the advertised dump size.

If the controller reports a zero dump size, the error path frees the
local qca_memdump object and returns without clearing qca->qca_memdump
or undoing the collection state. A later memdump work item initializes
its local pointer from qca->qca_memdump and skips allocation when that
pointer is non-NULL, so it can operate on freed memory. The stale
collection and IBS-disabled flags can also leave waiters or later
transmit handling blocked behind an aborted dump.

Clear the saved pointer and memdump state before returning from the
invalid-size path, matching the cleanup used when hci_devcd_init() fails.

A static analysis checker reported the stale memdump state, and manual
source review confirmed the invalid-size failure path.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-68389?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-68389?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-68389 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-68389 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-68389 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-68389 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 10 Aug 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-2026-68389 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux. 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-2026-68389/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-68389/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-68389
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-68389
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-68389

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-68389/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.