Vulnerability Database

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Total vulnerabilities in the database

CVE-2026-53256 — linux / linux_kernel

Use After Free

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

Bluetooth: RFCOMM: hold listener socket in rfcomm_connect_ind()

rfcomm_get_sock_by_channel() scans rfcomm_sk_list under the list lock, but returns the selected listener after dropping that lock without taking a reference. rfcomm_connect_ind() then locks the listener, queues a child socket on it, and may notify it after unlocking it.

The buggy scenario involves two paths, with each column showing the order within that path:

rfcomm_connect_ind(): listener close:

  1. Find parent in 1. close() enters rfcomm_get_sock_by_channel() rfcomm_sock_release().
  2. Drop rfcomm_sk_list.lock 2. rfcomm_sock_shutdown() without pinning parent. closes the listener.
  3. Call lock_sock(parent) and 3. rfcomm_sock_kill() bt_accept_enqueue(parent, unlinks and puts parent. sk, true).
  4. Read parent flags and may 4. parent can be freed. call sk_state_change().

If close wins the race, parent can be freed before rfcomm_connect_ind() reaches lock_sock(), bt_accept_enqueue(), or the deferred-setup callback.

Take a reference on the listener before leaving rfcomm_sk_list.lock. After lock_sock() succeeds, recheck that it is still in BT_LISTEN before queueing a child, cache the deferred-setup bit while the parent is locked, and drop the reference after the last parent use.

KASAN reported a slab-use-after-free in lock_sock_nested() from rfcomm_connect_ind(), with the freeing stack going through rfcomm_sock_kill() and rfcomm_sock_release().

  • Published: Jun 25, 2026
  • Updated: Oct 17, 2026
  • CVE: CVE-2026-53256
  • Severity: High
  • Exploit:
  • CISA KEV:

CVSS v3:

  • Severity: High
  • Score: 8
  • AV:A/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWEs:

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A security vulnerability is a weakness in software, hardware, or configuration that can be exploited to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Many vulnerabilities are tracked as CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), which provide a standardized identifier so teams can coordinate patching, mitigation, and risk assessment across tools and vendors.

CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) estimates technical severity, but it doesn't automatically equal business risk. Prioritize using context like internet exposure, affected asset criticality, known exploitation (proof-of-concept or in-the-wild), and whether compensating controls exist. A "Medium" CVSS on an exposed, production system can be more urgent than a "Critical" on an isolated, non-production host.

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Recurring findings usually come from incomplete Asset Discovery, inconsistent patch management, inherited images, and configuration drift. In modern environments, you also need to watch the software supply chain: dependencies, containers, build pipelines, and third-party services can reintroduce the same weakness even after you patch a single host. Unknown or unmanaged assets (often called Shadow IT) are a common reason the same issues resurface.

Use a simple, repeatable triage model: focus first on externally exposed assets, high-value systems (identity, VPN, email, production), vulnerabilities with known exploits, and issues that enable remote code execution or privilege escalation. Then enforce patch SLAs and track progress using consistent metrics so remediation is steady, not reactive.

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