Retained RX node leak and reachable assertion in Bluetooth Controller CIS Create procedures
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-19738 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | zephyr |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-10-11 18:16:59 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-10-16 16:17:05 UTC |
| Description | The Bluetooth Link Layer Control Procedure (LLCP) implementation for Connected Isochronous Stream (CIS) creation retains an RX node (ctx->node_ref.rx, marked NODE_RX_TYPE_RETAIN) so it can later be reused as the host notification — on the peripheral while awaiting the Host's reply to an LL_CIS_REQ, and on the central for the whole duration of a locally initiated CIS Create. In subsys/bluetooth/controller/ll_sw/ull_llcp_cc.c, the "invalid PDU received" paths of llcp_rp_cc_rx() and llcp_lp_cc_rx() terminated the connection and completed the procedure without releasing that retained node, breaking the invariant checked in llcp_lr_check_done() and llcp_rr_check_done() and orphaning the node's memory. A peer device within radio range can reach this with a single extra LL Control PDU on an unauthenticated, unencrypted ACL link. Against a peripheral, the attacker sends a valid LL_CIS_REQ and then, before the Host replies, any unrelated LL Control PDU (for example LL_VERSION_IND), which ull_cp_rx() routes into the active remote procedure. Against a central performing a CIS Create, a malicious peripheral answers with LL_UNKNOWN_RSP for CIS_REQ, which is dispatched into the active local procedure. No pairing, encryption or user interaction is required; the code is compiled in when CONFIG_BT_CTLR_PERIPHERAL_ISO or CONFIG_BT_CTLR_CENTRAL_ISO is enabled. In default builds (CONFIG_BT_CTLR_ASSERT_DEBUG is default y) the retained-node assertion fires immediately, producing a controller fatal error and, typically, a system reset from one injected PDU. With the development assertions disabled, each attempt permanently loses one node from the controller's small LL notification pool (LL_PDU_RX_CNT, 2 * CONFIG_BT_CTLR_LLCP_CONN) together with its memq_link_t; repeating the connect-attack-reconnect cycle exhausts the pool, after which notification allocation always fails, RX flow control stalls, and the non-disableable LL_ASSERT_ERR() in llcp_lp_cc_flush() faults. The impact is limited to availability — the leaked node is orphaned, never reused or double-freed — and recovery requires a reboot. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v3.1 6.5 MEDIUM from [email protected]
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
EPSS: 0.001040000 probability, percentile 0.009790000 (date 2026-10-12)
Problem Types: CWE-401 | CWE-401 dos
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | [email protected] | Secondary | 6.5 | MEDIUM | CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H |
| 3.1 | CNA | CVSS | 6.5 | MEDIUM | CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H |
CVSS v3.1 Breakdown
Attack Vector
AdjacentAttack Complexity
LowPrivileges Required
NoneUser Interaction
NoneScope
UnchangedConfidentiality
NoneIntegrity
NoneAvailability
HighCVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Vendor Declared Affected Products
| Source | Vendor | Product | Version | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | Zephyrproject | Zephyr | affected 3.4.0 4.5.0 semver | Not specified |
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/commit/fde17f2c3de0118f3796c2a83958... | [email protected] | github.com | |
| github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/security/advisories/GHSA-6mcj-5jw8-... | [email protected] | github.com | |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
No vendor comments have been submitted for this CVE.
There are currently no legacy QID mappings associated with this CVE.