CVE-2026-46186: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: Bluetooth: virtio_bt: validate rx pkt_type header length virtbt_rx_handle() read...

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: Bluetooth: virtio_bt: validate rx pkt_type header length virtbt_rx_handle() reads the leading pkt_type byte from the RX skb and forwards the remainder to hci_recv_frame() for every event/ACL/SCO/ISO type, without checking that the remaining payload is at least the fixed HCI header for that type. After the preceding patch bounds the backend-supplied used.len to [1, VIRTBT_RX_BUF_SIZE], a one-byte completion still reaches hci_recv_frame() with skb->len already pulled to 0. If the byte happened to be HCI_ACLDATA_PKT, the ACL-vs-ISO classification fast-path in hci_dev_classify_pkt_type() dereferences hci_acl_hdr(skb)->handle whenever the HCI device has an active CIS_LINK, BIS_LINK, or PA_LINK connection, reading two bytes of uninitialized RX-buffer data. The same hazard exists for every packet type the driver accepts because none of the switch cases in virtbt_rx_handle() check skb->len against the per-type minimum HCI header size before handing the frame to the core. After stripping pkt_type, require skb->len to cover the fixed header size for the selected type (event 2, ACL 4, SCO 3, ISO 4) before calling hci_recv_frame(); drop ratelimited otherwise. Unknown pkt_type values still take the original kfree_skb() default path. Use bt_dev_err_ratelimited() because both the length and pkt_type values come from an untrusted backend that can otherwise flood the kernel log.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

5.5/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

EPSS Probability

0.12%

2.4th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-908

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions	Update
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 5.15.78, < 5.15.209	—
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 6.0.8, < 6.1	—
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 6.1.1, < 6.1.175	—
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 6.2, < 6.6.140	—
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 6.7, < 6.12.88	—
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 6.13, < 6.18.30	—
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 6.19, < 7.0.7	—
Linux	Linux Kernel	6.1	—
Linux	Linux Kernel	7.1	Rc1

References

Timeline

Published: May 28, 2026
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Analyzed

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-46186?

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: Bluetooth: virtio_bt: validate rx pkt_type header length virtbt_rx_handle() reads the leading pkt_type byte from the RX skb and forwards the remainder to hci_recv_frame() for every event/ACL/SCO/ISO type, without checking that the remaining payload is at least the fixed HCI header for that type. After the preceding patch bounds the backend-supplied used.len to [1, VIRTBT_RX_BUF_SIZE], a one-byte completion still reaches hci_recv_frame() with skb->len already pulled to 0. If the byte happened to be HCI_ACLDATA_PKT, the ACL-vs-ISO classification fast-path in hci_dev_classify_pkt_type() dereferences hci_acl_hdr(skb)->handle whenever the HCI device has an active CIS_LINK, BIS_LINK, or PA_LINK connection, reading two bytes of uninitialized RX-buffer data. The same hazard exists for every packet type the driver accepts because none of the switch cases in virtbt_rx_handle() check skb->len against the per-type minimum HCI header size before handing the frame to the core. After stripping pkt_type, require skb->len to cover the fixed header size for the selected type (event 2, ACL 4, SCO 3, ISO 4) before calling hci_recv_frame(); drop ratelimited otherwise. Unknown pkt_type values still take the original kfree_skb() default path. Use bt_dev_err_ratelimited() because both the length and pkt_type values come from an untrusted backend that can otherwise flood the kernel log.

How severe is CVE-2026-46186?

CVE-2026-46186 has a CVSS score of 5.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.12% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2026-46186?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.