CVE-2026-74651 staging: rtl8723bs: fix OOB read in rtw_get_wpa_ie()
An out-of-bounds read in the rtl8723bs Wi-Fi driver allows attackers to read memory beyond the intended buffer via crafted management frames.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-74651?
CVE-2026-74651 is a high-severity 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 rtw_get_wpa_ie()
rtw_get_wpa_ie() reads bytes at fixed offsets into a vendor-specific information element without checking that the element is long enough, causing an out-of-bounds read for a short trailing IE.
The function locates a vendor-specific IE (EID 221) with rtw_get_ie() and then compares a 4-byte OUI+type at pbuf + 2 and reads a 2-byte version word at pbuf + 6. Those accesses require the IE body to be at least 6 bytes, but rtw_get_ie() only guarantees that the element fits within the buffer; it does not enforce a minimum body length. A vendor-specific IE whose length byte is 0 to 5, placed at the end of the buffer, therefore makes these reads run past the end of the IE and past the end of the buffer itself.
The buffer holds information elements taken from received management frames and from the IE blob passed to rtw_cfg80211_set_wpa_ie(), which is kmemdup'd to its exact length, so the read can run off the end of the allocation.
The sibling helpers rtw_get_sec_ie(), rtw_get_wapi_ie() and rtw_get_wps_ie() in this file already reject too-short vendor-specific IEs before their OUI memcmp(); rtw_get_wpa_ie() was never brought in line with them, and needs a minimum of 6 rather than 4 bytes because of the version word. Add the missing length check.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-74651?
How do I fix CVE-2026-74651?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Is CVE-2026-74651 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-74651 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2026-74651, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-74651, GHSA-849j-9cq7-9mpx, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-74651.