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CVE-2026-98160

5.5 · MEDIUM

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 inc…

Published Sep 25, 2026linuxCWE-763EPSS 0.11%

Overview

CVE-2026-98160 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting linux linux_kernel. It was published on September 25, 2026 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.

Technical 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.

Remediation

Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from linux. Update linux_kernel to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

Affected products

VendorProductVersionsStatus
linuxlinux_kernel>= 4.12, < 5.10.270Affected

References

Refgit.kernel.org/stable/c/264676418b726baca7be49171e306b6aa05cceb0Refgit.kernel.org/stable/c/423574feaed192063ef0cd0813fb85425f39e539Refgit.kernel.org/stable/c/4520d673d49dabfd42c008a33889251025f7d6d5Refgit.kernel.org/stable/c/6c017ab2b0e1b60b5be94636c94720347213d78bRefgit.kernel.org/stable/c/737c928ff5092d7e55128a232c231248fc993777Refgit.kernel.org/stable/c/911190f0b9511c3c81f2f2484414c1ae26f636b3Refgit.kernel.org/stable/c/d6158333d630a1b21d8914feaf77a6f5deb185d9Refgit.kernel.org/stable/c/ff6d1ba247b5c62bdb678f1069abc86ad88a1402

How CyberStrike helps

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-98160?

CVE-2026-98160 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting linux linux_kernel. It was published on September 25, 2026 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2026-98160?

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.

How do I fix or remediate CVE-2026-98160?

Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from linux. Update linux_kernel to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2026-98160?

CyberStrike is an open-source, AI-augmented pentesting engine. Rather than flag a version number, it tests whether an issue like CVE-2026-98160 is actually reachable in your own applications and APIs, then verifies each finding before reporting it. That tells you if the weakness is a real, exploitable risk in your environment or a false positive you can safely deprioritize.

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