CVE-2026-74651: staging: rtl8723bs: fix OOB read in rtw_get_wpa_ie()
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
staging: rtl8723bs: fix OOB read in rtwgetwpaie()
rtwgetwpaie() reads bytes at fixed offsets into a vendor-specific information element without checking that the element is long enough, causing an out-of-bounds read for a short trailing IE.
The function locates a vendor-specific IE (EID 221) with rtwgetie() and then compares a 4-byte OUI+type at pbuf + 2 and reads a 2-byte version word at pbuf + 6. Those accesses require the IE body to be at least 6 bytes, but rtwgetie() only guarantees that the element fits within the buffer; it does not enforce a minimum body length. A vendor-specific IE whose length byte is 0 to 5, placed at the end of the buffer, therefore makes these reads run past the end of the IE and past the end of the buffer itself.
The buffer holds information elements taken from received management frames and from the IE blob passed to rtwcfg80211setwpaie(), which is kmemdup'd to its exact length, so the read can run off the end of the allocation.
The sibling helpers rtwgetsecie(), rtwgetwapiie() and rtwgetwpsie() in this file already reject too-short vendor-specific IEs before their OUI memcmp(); rtwgetwpaie() was never brought in line with them, and needs a minimum of 6 rather than 4 bytes because of the version word. Add the missing length check.
Affected Software
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
Which systems are exposed to this issue?
Systems using the rtl8723bs staging driver are exposed when the affected helper processes information elements from received management frames or from the IE blob supplied to rtw_cfg80211_set_wpa_ie().
What does an attacker need to provide to trigger the out-of-bounds read?
The attacker needs a vendor-specific information element (EID 221) with a declared body length from 0 to 5 bytes positioned at the end of the processed buffer. This causes fixed-offset reads for the OUI/type or version to extend beyond the element and allocation.
What can be done if an update cannot be applied immediately?
The provided data does not describe a configuration workaround. Reduce exposure to untrusted management frames and avoid supplying malformed or untrusted IE blobs to the affected WPA IE configuration path until the referenced fixes are applied.