CVE-2026-98160 staging: rtl8723bs: fix mismatched free of HalData in rtw_sdio_if1_init()
A mismatched free in the rtl8723bs driver causes memory corruption, potentially allowing code execution or denial of service in the Linux kernel.
- 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-2026-98160?
CVE-2026-98160 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Sep 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 mismatched free of HalData in rtw_sdio_if1_init()
padapter->HalData is allocated via vzalloc(), but incorrectly freed using kfree() in the rtw_sdio_if1_init() error path. Using kfree() to release this vmalloc-backed buffer can lead to memory corruption.
Use rtw_hal_data_deinit() to pair the free correctly and free HalData with vfree().
The bug was first flagged by an experimental static analysis tool we are developing for kernel memory-management bugs. Manual inspection confirms that the issue is still present in current mainline.
An x86_64 allyesconfig build showed no new warnings. As we do not have suitable RTL8723BS SDIO hardware to test with, no runtime testing was able to be performed.
Weakness: CWE-763
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98160?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2026-98160?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade to the fixed version. Memory-safe languages, compiler hardening and fuzzing prevent most new cases. More about Memory corruption.
Is CVE-2026-98160 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98160 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2026-98160, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98160, GHSA-4hh4-86px-498m, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98160.