CVE-2025-68256

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: staging: rtl8723bs: fix out-of-bounds read in rtw_get_ie() parser The Information Element (IE) parser rtw_get_ie() trusted the length byte of each IE without validating that the IE body (len bytes after the 2-byte header) fits inside the remaining frame buffer. A malformed frame can advertise an IE length larger than the available data, causing the parser to increment its pointer beyond the buffer end. This results in out-of-bounds reads or, depending on the pattern, an infinite loop. Fix by validating that (offset + 2 + len) does not exceed the limit before accepting the IE or advancing to the next element. This prevents OOB reads and ensures the parser terminates safely on malformed frames.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2025-12-16
Last modified 2026-04-18
Patch available
Yes

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 4.12 and later are affected. Fixed in 5.15.203, 6.1.160, 6.6.120, 6.12.62, 6.17.12, 6.18.1, 6.19 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 4.12
Fixed in
✓ 5.15.203 5.15.x ✓ 6.1.160 6.1.x ✓ 6.6.120 6.6.x ✓ 6.12.62 6.12.x ✓ 6.17.12 6.17.x ✓ 6.18.1 6.18.x ✓ 6.19

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2025-68256 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2025-68256?

    CVE-2025-68256 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 4.12 onward and has been patched in 5.15.203, 6.1.160, 6.6.120 and others. CVE-2025-68256 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2025-68256?

    Yes — CVE-2025-68256 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.15.203, 6.1.160, 6.6.120 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 4.12 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2025-68256 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2025-68256 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.