CVE-2026-74651
HIGH 8.1In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: staging: rtl8723bs: fix OOB read in rtw_get_wpa_ie() rtw_get_wpa_ie() reads bytes at fixed offsets into a vendor-specific information element without checking that the element is long enough, causing an out-of-bounds read for a short trailing IE. The function locates a vendor-specific IE (EID 221) with rtw_get_ie() and then compares a 4-byte OUI+type at pbuf + 2 and reads a 2-byte version word at pbuf + 6. Those accesses require the IE body to be at least 6 bytes, but rtw_get_ie() only guarantees that the element fits within the buffer; it does not enforce a minimum body length. A vendor-specific IE whose length byte is 0 to 5, placed at the end of the buffer, therefore makes these reads run past the end of the IE and past the end of the buffer itself. The buffer holds information elements taken from received management frames and from the IE blob passed to rtw_cfg80211_set_wpa_ie(), which is kmemdup'd to its exact length, so the read can run off the end of the allocation. The sibling helpers rtw_get_sec_ie(), rtw_get_wapi_ie() and rtw_get_wps_ie() in this file already reject too-short vendor-specific IEs before their OUI memcmp(); rtw_get_wpa_ie() was never brought in line with them, and needs a minimum of 6 rather than 4 bytes because of the version word. Add the missing length check.
Severe if exploited (CVSS 8.1), but no known exploitation and low modeled probability. Patch on a normal cadence.
Exploitation likelihood
0.3%chance of exploitation in 30 days · 19th percentile
Impact if exploited
8.1CVSS 3.1 · HIGH
- ConfidentialityHigh
- IntegrityNone
- AvailabilityHigh
What an attacker needs
- ⚠Access: Must sit on the same / adjacent network
- ✓Privileges: No account or privileges required
- ✓User interaction: No user interaction needed
- ✓Complexity: No special conditions — reliably repeatable
✓ lowers the bar for an attacker · ⚠ raises it
Proof of concept & exploit code
- github-search Search GitHub for public PoC repos
Test against your own equipment
curl -s https://vulnpedia.com/cve/CVE-2026-74651/poc.jsonMachine-readable PoC index for this CVE (for automation).Listed for defensive triage, patch verification, and authorized testing on systems you own. Machine-readable: /cve/CVE-2026-74651/poc.json
Weakness (CWE)
Not classified.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H
All CVSS metrics
- HIGH 8.1 v3.1 · CNA Primary
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H - HIGH 8.1 v3.1 · NVD Secondary
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H
References
Technical & other
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4fc459c5cd8767ca4d9bf2f7becbd562639ba4d9
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b45be82387bf759931acdd21ca7dfe740f16eb97
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c9068f82a0906b29c905e8788edb62c3208c7c8a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0d19f0600fbb610c42f2a86f95c35706dc04691b
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/42c5a0d454aa5b54fec17162d9a1f8c30f8af45a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e167a38a8a8f50f137721fef1a1fbba0f4588b5d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/01ab275f8f3e497a13ebbe4ded44ec0623bccde3
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1c3e23e78862493e8cf1adad02b10ffcb8b9921c