CVE-2026-97975: Linux Vulnerability

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: Bluetooth: hci_sysfs: Fix NULL pointer dereference in device_del() A NULL pointer dereference in klist_put() occurs when a child device (such as a BNEP network device in bnep_session) is concurrently being unregistered while hci_conn_del_sysfs() reparents child devices. This is caused by a race condition between hci_conn_del_sysfs() and concurrent child device unregistration (e.g. bnep_session calling unregister_netdev()). During device unregistration, device_del() snapshots a non-NULL parent pointer. Concurrently, hci_conn_del_sysfs() finds the child device using device_find_any_child() and calls device_move() to reparent it to NULL, which removes the node from its parent's klist and clears knode_parent. Subsequently, device_del() calls klist_del(&dev->p->knode_parent) using the stale parent snapshot, causing klist_put() to dereference knode_klist(n)->put on an already removed node, resulting in a NULL pointer dereference. This race was introduced by commit 27aabf27fd01 ("Bluetooth: fix use-after-free in device_for_each_child()"), which replaced device_find_child(..., __match_tty) with device_find_any_child() in hci_conn_del_sysfs(). That change was intended to avoid a use-after-free where conn->dev outlived its parent hdev->dev when child devices held references to conn->dev, because conn->dev only held a reference to hdev->dev while registered in sysfs. Fix the issue properly by taking an explicit reference to the parent device with get_device(&hdev->dev) in hci_conn_init_sysfs() and dropping it with put_device(parent) in bt_link_release() when the conn device is freed. This ensures that hdev->dev remains valid for the entire lifecycle of conn->dev, resolving the underlying use-after-free. With the parent reference held properly, restore the __match_tty filter in hci_conn_del_sysfs() so that device_move() is only invoked on persistent RFCOMM TTY devices as originally intended, eliminating the race condition with unregistering network devices.

Affected Software

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

Vendor	Product	Versions
Linux	Linux	>= 27aabf27fd014ae037cc179c61b0bee7cff55b3d, < eeabdb25c3209569367e99a85ca9a503b64a646d; >= 27aabf27fd014ae037cc179c61b0bee7cff55b3d, < 9e9ece97b8e716890793de261574b8efef7d8702; >= 27aabf27fd014ae037cc179c61b0bee7cff55b3d, < 9b851b09b392da68bd715601f10a5adb2d8d19b8; 6894717a1ea363c5a27010ba604f957c309d282d; fb91ce37dc9a37ea23cf32b6d7b667004e93d4c5; a9584c897d1cba6265c78010bbb45ca5722c88bc; 0f67ca2a80acf8b207240405b7f72d660665d3df; de5a44f351ca7efd9add9851b218f5353e2224b7; 91e2a2e4d1336333804cd31162984f01ad8cc70f; 7b277bd569bb6a2777f0014f84b4344f444fd49d; >= 5.4.297, < 5.5; >= 5.10.231, < 5.11; >= 5.15.174, < 5.16; >= 6.1.120, < 6.2; >= 6.6.64, < 6.7; >= 6.11.11, < 6.12; >= 6.12.2, < 6.13
Linux	Linux	6.13

References

Timeline

Published: Sep 25, 2026
Last Modified: Sep 25, 2026
Status: Received

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-97975?

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: Bluetooth: hci_sysfs: Fix NULL pointer dereference in device_del() A NULL pointer dereference in klist_put() occurs when a child device (such as a BNEP network device in bnep_session) is concurrently being unregistered while hci_conn_del_sysfs() reparents child devices. This is caused by a race condition between hci_conn_del_sysfs() and concurrent child device unregistration (e.g. bnep_session calling unregister_netdev()). During device unregistration, device_del() snapshots a non-NULL parent pointer. Concurrently, hci_conn_del_sysfs() finds the child device using device_find_any_child() and calls device_move() to reparent it to NULL, which removes the node from its parent's klist and clears knode_parent. Subsequently, device_del() calls klist_del(&dev->p->knode_parent) using the stale parent snapshot, causing klist_put() to dereference knode_klist(n)->put on an already removed node, resulting in a NULL pointer dereference. This race was introduced by commit 27aabf27fd01 ("Bluetooth: fix use-after-free in device_for_each_child()"), which replaced device_find_child(..., __match_tty) with device_find_any_child() in hci_conn_del_sysfs(). That change was intended to avoid a use-after-free where conn->dev outlived its parent hdev->dev when child devices held references to conn->dev, because conn->dev only held a reference to hdev->dev while registered in sysfs. Fix the issue properly by taking an explicit reference to the parent device with get_device(&hdev->dev) in hci_conn_init_sysfs() and dropping it with put_device(parent) in bt_link_release() when the conn device is freed. This ensures that hdev->dev remains valid for the entire lifecycle of conn->dev, resolving the underlying use-after-free. With the parent reference held properly, restore the __match_tty filter in hci_conn_del_sysfs() so that device_move() is only invoked on persistent RFCOMM TTY devices as originally intended, eliminating the race condition with unregistering network devices.

How severe is CVE-2026-97975?

Severity scoring for CVE-2026-97975 is pending analysis.

How do I fix CVE-2026-97975?

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.

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