CVE-2026-90221
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nfc: nci: fix use of uninitialized memory in CORE_INIT_RSP parsing nci_core_init_rsp_packet_v1() and nci_core_init_rsp_packet_v2() parse the CORE_INIT_RSP packet without validating that the skb contains enough data. A malformed response (e.g. injected via virtual_ncidev) can declare a large num_supported_rf_interfaces while providing insufficient data, causing reads of uninitialized slab memory. This is later used in nci_init_complete_req(), triggering a KMSAN uninit-value warning. Add skb length checks before accessing packet fields: - Validate the skb has at least 1 byte for the status field. - Validate the skb can hold the fixed-size header before parsing. - In v2, bounds-check each variable-length rf_interface entry and its extension parameters within the parsing loop. - In v1, verify the skb is large enough for both the variable-length rf_interfaces array and the trailing rsp_2 structure.
Affected versions
Linux kernel versions
5.11
and later are affected. Fixed in
5.15.221,
6.1.188,
6.6.157,
6.12.110,
6.18.52,
7.2.6,
7.3-rc1
and their respective stable series.
References
7 totalFrequently asked questions
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What is CVE-2026-90221?
CVE-2026-90221 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 5.11 onward and has been patched in 5.15.221, 6.1.188, 6.6.157 and others. CVE-2026-90221 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
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Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-90221?
Yes. CVE-2026-90221 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.15.221, 6.1.188, 6.6.157 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 5.11 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
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Is CVE-2026-90221 actively exploited?
No. CVE-2026-90221 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.