# CVE-2026-74650: staging: rtl8723bs: fix OOB read in WMM_param_handler()

> A remote attacker can trigger an out-of-bounds read in the rtl8723bs Wi-Fi driver by sending a malformed association response, potentially leaking kernel memory.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **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:** 22 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 27 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-74650, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-74650, GHSA-96vf-829x-rg43, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-74650

## What is CVE-2026-74650?

CVE-2026-74650 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 22 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:

staging: rtl8723bs: fix OOB read in WMM_param_handler()

WMM_param_handler() copies a fixed-size WMM parameter element out of a
received information element without checking that the element is long
enough, causing an out-of-bounds read for a short WMM IE.

The handler reads sizeof(struct WMM_para_element) (18) bytes at
pIE->data + 6, so it requires pIE->length to be at least 24
(WLAN_WMM_LEN), but it never validates the length. Two of its three
callers reach it after matching only the WMM OUI: OnAssocRsp() in
rtw_mlme_ext.c matches a 6-byte OUI, and join_cmd_hdl() matches a
4-byte OUI, before calling the handler. A vendor-specific IE carrying
the WMM OUI but a length between 6 and 23, placed in an association
response or in the IE blob handed to join_cmd_hdl(), passes the OUI
check and then makes the memcmp() and memcpy() at pIE->data + 6 read
past the end of the element. OnAssocRsp() parses a frame received from
the AP, so this is reachable from a remote peer.

The remaining caller in rtw_wlan_util.c already guards the handler with
"pIE->length == WLAN_WMM_LEN". Move the equivalent check into the
handler itself so every caller is covered; the sibling IE handlers in
the same parsing loop (HT_caps_handler(), HT_info_handler(),
ERP_IE_handler()) likewise bound their accesses by pIE->length.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-74650?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-74650?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-74650 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-74650 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-74650 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-74650 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 22 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-2026-74650 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-2026-74650/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-74650/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-74650
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-74650
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-74650

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-74650/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.