Race in Linux kernel Bluetooth ISO connect causes use-after-free
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 3 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
The Linux kernel Bluetooth ISO socket code checks the socket state before taking the socket lock, so concurrent connect calls can replace a socket's connection. A local user with low privileges can trigger this race, which lets a connection callback access a freed socket. Linux kernel versions from 6.0 are affected, and the impact includes high confidentiality, integrity and availability loss.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-30
Description from the CNA
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: Bluetooth: ISO: Serialize concurrent connect calls iso_sock_connect() checks the socket state before taking the socket lock and drops the lock again before setting up a connection. Two callers can both pass the admission check while the socket is open or bound. Caller A can copy its destination for route selection, then caller B can replace the socket destination before A binds or connects the CIS. A then uses B's destination with the route selected for its own request. B can also proceed after A attaches a connection and sets BT_CONNECT. For deferred BIS setup, B can bind a second BIS and overwrite iso_pi(sk)->conn, leaving the first connection's reference and conn->sk back-pointer stranded. Concurrent CIS connects can likewise replace the socket's connection. Later teardown only detaches the current connection, so a callback on the old connection can race with socket release and access a freed socket. KASAN reported: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in iso_sock_hold+0xf7/0x1b0 Call Trace: iso_sock_hold+0xf7/0x1b0 iso_conn_del+0x7b/0x1d0 iso_connect_cfm+0x186/0x16a0 hci_conn_failed+0x154/0x280 hci_abort_conn_sync+0x3dc/0x7d0 hci_cmd_sync_work+0x173/0x300 Allocated by task 121: sk_alloc+0x2b/0x6d0 bt_sock_alloc+0x29/0x370 iso_sock_alloc.constprop.0+0x19/0x300 iso_sock_create+0x94/0x100 Freed by task 121: kfree+0x121/0x3c0 __sk_destruct+0x42b/0x540 iso_sock_release+0x29d/0x340 __sock_release+0xa1/0x260 Check admission under the socket lock and mark the connect operation in progress before publishing its destination. Keep that flag set across route lookup and connection setup, rejecting another connect with -EBADFD before it can change the destination or attach a connection. Clear the flag after either helper returns, including on failure, so a failed setup can be retried. A separate flag is needed because the socket lock must be released before acquiring the HCI device lock, while BT_CONNECT requires an attached connection. Keep the existing state transitions and the deferred CIS completion through iso_sock_recvmsg(). Reject an existing socket attachment in __iso_chan_add() before taking a new reference or publishing either pointer, so every caller preserves the connection association. Keep the same-socket, same-connection success case for deferred CIS setup. Reject an attached socket before BIS setup so a reusable BIS is not claimed before the attachment is rejected. In CIS setup, reject a different HCI connection before iso_conn_add() and drop the per-attempt HCI hold directly. An unowned iso_conn may still carry another reference after detachment, so its destruction cannot be relied on to release that hold. iso_listen_bis() creates a fresh PA HCI/ISO pair under the device lock, so the temporary iso_conn_put() frees the ISO candidate and drops its HCI hold on rejection. iso_conn_ready() uses a freshly allocated, unpublished child with no connection, making the socket-side rejection unreachable.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
Remediation
Update the Linux kernel to 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.113, 6.18.57, 7.2.11 or 7.3, depending on the release branch in use. The sources list no fixed version for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 and Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-30
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.113, 6.18.57, 7.2.11, 7.3
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Not affected: 4 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
Timeline
- 2026-10-23 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-99012
- 2026-10-23 Alias added: GHSA-g55x-63cp-x552
- 2026-10-24 CVSS score added · CNA
- 2026-10-24 Priority changed: LOW → MEDIUM
- 2026-10-24 Priority changed: MEDIUM → LOW
- 2026-10-29 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-29 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-10-30 Fix available: Linux/[email protected], Linux/Linux@a33de694226838d133dfdb7953c1955acb20df3d · CNA
- 2026-10-30 1 new reference · CNA
References
Other 6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a33de694226838d133dfdb7953c1955acb20df3d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9b6ed57eb8c892ee7566b8c1bd06fdd0053b53de
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1adcfe232c0f58890c2538211a841100ad0512bd
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c6489a3a0ac8c07f64cb5b44f005bc518f1048ac
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3728f6b0d5990c0d500e929ba10baf93bee24f5e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e32d80293a0e1a160d5e5101daa8c82148c07510
More Linux vulnerabilities
- TI-2025-26358 tls: fix handling of zero-length records on the rx_list KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2026-38352 netfilter: bridge: make ebt_snat ARP rewrite writable KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2021-02452 Incorrect authorization in Ubuntu linux kernel KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2013-05264 The (1) get_user and (2) put_user API functions in the Linux kernel before 3.5.5 on the… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2022-00125 Integer overflow in kernel KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2013-01864 The perf_swevent_init function in kernel/events/core.c in the Linux kernel before 3.8.9… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
Sources
- CVE-2026-99012 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-99012 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-g55x-63cp-x552 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-99012 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences