Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

staging: rtl8723bs: validate monitor transmit frame lengths

rtw_cfg80211_monitor_if_xmit_entry() removes the radiotap header and
then reads the 802.11 frame control field without checking that a base
802.11 header remains.

The data path also pulls the calculated 802.11, QoS and SNAP header
span before confirming that the skb contains it. A truncated frame can
therefore cause out-of-bounds reads or leave insufficient data for the
Ethernet address writes.

Reject frames that do not contain the base 802.11 header and data
frames that do not contain their complete calculated header span.
Published: 2026-08-22
Score: 7.8 High
EPSS: < 1% Very Low
KEV: No
Impact: Out-of-bounds read that can trigger a kernel crash
Action: Patch Kernel
AI Analysis

Impact

The rtl8723bs staging driver in the Linux kernel contains a faulty validation routine. After stripping a radiotap header, it reads the 802.11 frame control field without first verifying that a complete base 802.11 header remains in the socket buffer. If a frame is truncated, the driver may read beyond the end of the buffer or attempt to write an Ethernet address with insufficient data, leading to an out-of-bounds read or memory corruption.

Affected Systems

All Linux kernel builds that ship the rtl8723bs staging driver and enable monitor mode are affected. The vulnerability exists in any kernel version that does not include the patch committed in the referenced series of kernel commits; the latest mainline merge is the fix. No product‑specific version list is supplied, so all installations using the unpatched driver are at risk.

Risk and Exploitability

The CVSS score of 7.8 indicates high severity, and the EPSS score of less than 1% suggests that exploitation is unlikely in the wild. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog. Based on the description, it is inferred that an attacker who can transmit crafted wireless frames to a device in monitor mode could trigger the flaw, causing an out-of-bounds read or memory corruption and potentially leading to a kernel crash. The exploitation requires the device to be running a vulnerable kernel with the rtl8723bs driver loaded and monitor mode enabled; disabling monitor mode or unloading the driver can mitigate the threat.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on August 25, 2026 at 07:24 UTC.

Remediation

No vendor fix or workaround currently provided.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

  • Upgrade the kernel to a version that includes the rtl8723bs fix committed to mainline
  • If an upgrade is not immediately possible, disable monitor mode or unload the rtl8723bs module on vulnerable systems
  • If your distribution does not provide the update, manually apply the patch from the referenced commits to the kernel source and recompile

Generated by OpenCVE AI on August 25, 2026 at 07:24 UTC.

Tracking

Sign in to view the affected projects.

Advisories
Source ID Title
Debian DLA Debian DLA DLA-4777-1 linux security update
Debian DSA Debian DSA DSA-6466-1 linux security update
History

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 06:00:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 5.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}

cvssV3_1

{'score': 7.8, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'}


Mon, 24 Aug 2026 12:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Weaknesses CWE-125
References
Metrics threat_severity

None

cvssV3_1

{'score': 5.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}

threat_severity

Moderate


Sat, 22 Aug 2026 15:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: staging: rtl8723bs: validate monitor transmit frame lengths rtw_cfg80211_monitor_if_xmit_entry() removes the radiotap header and then reads the 802.11 frame control field without checking that a base 802.11 header remains. The data path also pulls the calculated 802.11, QoS and SNAP header span before confirming that the skb contains it. A truncated frame can therefore cause out-of-bounds reads or leave insufficient data for the Ethernet address writes. Reject frames that do not contain the base 802.11 header and data frames that do not contain their complete calculated header span.
Title staging: rtl8723bs: validate monitor transmit frame lengths
First Time appeared Linux
Linux linux Kernel
CPEs cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Linux
Linux linux Kernel
References

Subscriptions

Linux Linux Kernel
cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: Linux

Published:

Updated: 2026-08-25T05:41:06.779Z

Reserved: 2026-08-15T05:44:03.923Z

Link: CVE-2026-74648

cve-icon Vulnrichment

No data.

cve-icon NVD

Status : Received

Published: 2026-08-22T16:16:38.160

Modified: 2026-08-25T06:18:44.883

Link: CVE-2026-74648

cve-icon Redhat

Severity : Moderate

Publid Date: 2026-08-22T00:00:00Z

Links: CVE-2026-74648 - Bugzilla

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-08-25T07:30:12Z

Weaknesses