# CVE-2026-98739: Bluetooth: RFCOMM: Fix initial port reference race

> A race condition in the Linux kernel Bluetooth RFCOMM driver allows local attackers to trigger a use-after-free, potentially leading to privilege escalation or code execution.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **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:** Yes
- **Published:** 18 Oct 2026
- **Updated:** 21 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-108653, BELL-CVE-2026-98739, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98739, GHSA-jg2j-fxrh-w676, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98739

## What is CVE-2026-98739?

CVE-2026-98739 is an use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 18 Oct 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: RFCOMM: Fix initial port reference race

For RFCOMM_RELEASE_ONHUP devices, rfcomm_tty_install() and
__rfcomm_release_dev() both use RFCOMM_TTY_OWNED to decide who drops the
initial tty_port reference. The release path tests the bit separately
from the install path setting it, so both can drop that reference.

The synchronous hangup does not prevent this race: port->tty is not
assigned until tty_port_open(), after installation. The following
interleaving is possible:

  1. Install and release each obtain a reference with rfcomm_dev_get().
  2. Release observes RFCOMM_TTY_OWNED clear.
  3. Install sets RFCOMM_TTY_OWNED and drops the initial reference.
  4. Release drops the same initial reference again.
  5. TTY cleanup drops its reference and frees the device.
  6. Release performs its final tty_port_put() on the freed port.

KASAN reported:

  BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in tty_port_put+0x22/0x190
  Write of size 4 at addr ffff8881001d3d5c by task poc/92

  Call Trace:
   tty_port_put+0x22/0x190
   rfcomm_dev_ioctl+0x1d4/0x1930
   sock_do_ioctl+0x110/0x260
   sock_ioctl+0x380/0x590
   __x64_sys_ioctl+0x134/0x1c0

  Allocated by task 88:
   rfcomm_dev_ioctl+0x8f6/0x1930
   sock_do_ioctl+0x110/0x260
   sock_ioctl+0x380/0x590
   __x64_sys_ioctl+0x134/0x1c0

  Freed by task 65:
   kfree+0x131/0x3c0
   rfcomm_dev_destruct+0x23b/0x2f0
   release_one_tty+0xc1/0x370
   process_one_work+0x661/0x1090

Use test_and_set_bit() in both paths so that only the caller that changes
RFCOMM_TTY_OWNED from clear to set drops the initial reference. Each path
keeps its own lookup reference until release or TTY cleanup, preserving
the existing callback ordering and error handling.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98739?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-98739?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-98739 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98739 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-98739 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-98739 is an use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 18 Oct 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-2026-98739 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-2026-98739/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98739/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98739
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98739
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-98739

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98739/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.