Kernel-level Bluetooth bug affects Linux-based systems broadly; can crash kernels and may enable memory corruption/privilege escalation, impacting many devices and infrastructure.
CVE-2026-74538
Linux Bluetooth ISO socket locking flaw may cause kernel crash or memory corruption.
Is CVE-2026-74538 being exploited?
Not confirmed. CVE-2026-74538 does not appear in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which records only exploitation that has been observed and reported publicly. That is evidence of absence of a report, not evidence the flaw is unattacked. EPSS currently estimates a 0.24% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How severe is CVE-2026-74538?
CVE-2026-74538 is rated High with a CVSS score of 8.8. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2026-74538?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2026-74538. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2026-74538 affect?
CVE-2026-74538 affects Linux kernel (Bluetooth ISO subsystem), Android devices using affected kernels, Embedded Linux IoT devices with Bluetooth, Linux-based laptops/servers with Bluetooth. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2026-74538?
Apply vendor/kernel security updates; disable Bluetooth if immediate patching not possible.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
Remote attacker with Bluetooth access can trigger kernel NULL-deref/use-after-free causing DoS; may lead to memory corruption and potential privilege escalation.
Patch when possible
- affected>= 168d9bf9c7f01df71e6404cfff66d9c2a8e968fb and < e8e9cff6d80eeec28dec4cf7cc18662986945391
- affected>= 168d9bf9c7f01df71e6404cfff66d9c2a8e968fb and < 9bee7e476534f27e830658dad962d85da9edf6bf
- affected>= 168d9bf9c7f01df71e6404cfff66d9c2a8e968fb and < 4311fd6f429065a8ba208660360a895627a00cf3
- affected489efc9ae36f164423f5fa7ace772a7ab8131cd8
- affected>= 6.8.9 and < 6.9
- affected6.9
As published in the CVE Program record. A version outside these ranges is not a statement that it is unaffected — vendors sometimes understate a range, and distribution-backported builds carry upstream numbers that do not reflect what was patched into them.