Stale-data processing via misinterpreted HID transport errors
Published Oct 18, 2026 · Updated Oct 18, 2026
Signedness error in Linux HID-BPF allows attackers to induce stale-data processing through failed hardware requests. In hid_bpf_hw_request, comparing a signed return value with unsigned size converts negative errors into large positive values, causing a success return and copying the unchanged buffer back. The condition requires a HID-BPF hardware request and a transport error; attacker control and consequences beyond processing uninitialized or stale data are not established.
Summary
What happened
Signedness error in Linux HID-BPF allows attackers to induce stale-data processing through failed hardware requests. In hid_bpf_hw_request, comparing a signed return value with unsigned size converts negative errors into large positive values, causing a success return and copying the unchanged buffer back. The condition requires a HID-BPF hardware request and a transport error; attacker control and consequences beyond processing uninitialized or stale data are not established.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-98860
- Published
- Oct 18, 2026
- Updated
- Oct 18, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- Unavailable
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Oct 18, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Oct 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?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=2b658c1c442ec1cd9eec5ead98d68662c40fe645 <3afefbfe55c2a8a0c4bdf6f4cc1f773da120027c
- Affected versionversion=2b658c1c442ec1cd9eec5ead98d68662c40fe645 <f9f808227554b2c116fd07dd2328ecd74ea3f411
- Affected versionversion=6.12.78 <6.12.113
- Affected versionversion=6.18.20 <6.18.56
- Affected versionversion=6.19.10 <6.20
- Affected versionversion=7.0
- Affected versionversion=73c5b5aea1c443239c8cb4191b4af7a4bd6fd7b1 <97be6396817bd3b11d06239010d27902940bfaa9
- Affected versionversion=d6efaa50af62fb0790dd1fd4e7e5506b46312510 <8b85ef0f561039e249c3f883c5280a1449c6dbee
- Affected versionversion=eb57dae20fdf6f3069cdc07821fa3bb46de381d7
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
No CVSS assessment is available in this record.
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
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
No sourced classifications are available.
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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