CVE-2026-90016: Linux Vulnerability (CVSS 7.1)

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: staging: rtl8723bs: fix OOB read in rtw_restruct_wmm_ie() rtw_restruct_wmm_ie() scans in_ie for a WMM IE with: while (i < in_len) { ... if (i + 5 < in_len && in_ie[i] == 0xDD && ...) { ... break; } i += (in_ie[i + 1] + 2); /* to the next IE element */ } When the "i + 5 < in_len" match check fails simply because i is within 5 bytes of the end of the buffer (i.e. no WMM IE was found near the tail of in_ie), execution falls through to "i += (in_ie[i + 1] + 2)", which reads in_ie[i + 1]. If i == in_len - 1 at that point, this is a 1-byte out-of-bounds read of an attacker-influenced IE buffer built from association/scan data. Commit a75281626fc8f ("staging: rtl8723bs: fix potential out-of-bounds read in rtw_restruct_wmm_ie") added the "i + 5 < in_len" guard to the match condition itself, but did not add an equivalent guard before the fallthrough advance, so the same class of OOB read remained reachable through the non-matching path. Add an explicit bounds check before advancing to the next IE.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

7.1/10

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

EPSS Probability

0.38%

32.3th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Affected Software

Source: CNA advisory (CVE.org). NVD analysis pending.

Vendor	Product	Versions
Linux	Linux	>= 554c0a3abf216c991c5ebddcdb2c08689ecd290b, < 0c1f8bada613edbd810d010996d36159092576d5; >= 554c0a3abf216c991c5ebddcdb2c08689ecd290b, < 55034fa38bd8b302ceb32c15e8a98298f56f629b; >= 554c0a3abf216c991c5ebddcdb2c08689ecd290b, < a8d76480d1abbbf617c2d6d9f60bf95ab45cff04; >= 554c0a3abf216c991c5ebddcdb2c08689ecd290b, < 716850842d2f103f915fe7c857ff1a0a036491b4; >= 554c0a3abf216c991c5ebddcdb2c08689ecd290b, < e63b72c5d7336981dfc05e5cb92becff29dfea00; >= 554c0a3abf216c991c5ebddcdb2c08689ecd290b, < 4420cc71841b50e31a7868ef7acb011c0e08d294; >= 554c0a3abf216c991c5ebddcdb2c08689ecd290b, < fd19b8895f8a91087e8a62f1e27b128025dabb95; >= 554c0a3abf216c991c5ebddcdb2c08689ecd290b, < 28a289beaf226b30b1e6e7d7b1a2946fe2d6e852
Linux	Linux	4.12

References

Timeline

Published: Sep 16, 2026
Last Modified: Oct 30, 2026
Status: Received

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-90016?

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: staging: rtl8723bs: fix OOB read in rtw_restruct_wmm_ie() rtw_restruct_wmm_ie() scans in_ie for a WMM IE with: while (i < in_len) { ... if (i + 5 < in_len && in_ie[i] == 0xDD && ...) { ... break; } i += (in_ie[i + 1] + 2); /* to the next IE element */ } When the "i + 5 < in_len" match check fails simply because i is within 5 bytes of the end of the buffer (i.e. no WMM IE was found near the tail of in_ie), execution falls through to "i += (in_ie[i + 1] + 2)", which reads in_ie[i + 1]. If i == in_len - 1 at that point, this is a 1-byte out-of-bounds read of an attacker-influenced IE buffer built from association/scan data. Commit a75281626fc8f ("staging: rtl8723bs: fix potential out-of-bounds read in rtw_restruct_wmm_ie") added the "i + 5 < in_len" guard to the match condition itself, but did not add an equivalent guard before the fallthrough advance, so the same class of OOB read remained reachable through the non-matching path. Add an explicit bounds check before advancing to the next IE.

How severe is CVE-2026-90016?

CVE-2026-90016 has a CVSS score of 7.1/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.38% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2026-90016?

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.

How Strix Helps

Related CVEs from 2026

View all 2026CVEs →