Adjacent kernel compromise via unlocked L2CAP access
Published Sep 17, 2026 · Updated Sep 18, 2026
Use-after-free in Linux Bluetooth L2CAP allows unauthenticated adjacent attackers to crash or compromise the kernel over Bluetooth. l2cap_disconn_ind reads hci_conn::l2cap_data without proto_lock while concurrent l2cap_conn deletion can free the object, leaving disc_reason read through a dangling pointer. Exploitation requires Bluetooth radio range and an enabled, connectable adapter; the race is attacker-driven and retryable without pairing or user interaction.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in Linux Bluetooth L2CAP allows unauthenticated adjacent attackers to crash or compromise the kernel over Bluetooth. l2cap_disconn_ind reads hci_conn::l2cap_data without proto_lock while concurrent l2cap_conn deletion can free the object, leaving disc_reason read through a dangling pointer. Exploitation requires Bluetooth radio range and an enabled, connectable adapter; the race is attacker-driven and retryable without pairing or user interaction.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-90256
- Published
- Sep 17, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 18, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1499
- Attack vector
- adjacent
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 17, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 18, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
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- Affected versionversion=18ab6b6078fa8191ca30a3065d57bf35d5635761
- Affected versionversion=6.12.20 <6.13
- Affected versionversion=6.13.8 <6.14
- Affected versionversion=6.14
- Affected versionversion=6.6.84 <6.7
- Affected versionversion=ab4eedb790cae44313759b50fe47da285e2519d5 <2b66c83ff1751d6bd3201b3017206262ab46dc05
- Affected versionversion=ab4eedb790cae44313759b50fe47da285e2519d5 <b495a3a9b33bc4e4613e685bf5c96c136caa22d8
- Affected versionversion=efc30877bd4bc85fefe98d80af60fafc86e5775e
- Affected versionversion=f87271d21dd4ee83857ca11b94e7b4952749bbae
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Activity data is delayed. The latest report is Sep 28, 2026.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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