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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2026-43334

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.10.253 / 5.15.203 or later.
See remediation →
93/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
No privileges Zero-click Patch available

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: Bluetooth: SMP: force responder MITM requirements before building the pairing response smp_cmd_pairing_req() currently builds the pairing response from the initiator auth_req before enforcing the local BT_SECURITY_HIGH requirement. If the initiator omits SMP_AUTH_MITM, the response can also omit it even though the local side still requires MITM. tk_request() then sees an auth value without SMP_AUTH_MITM and may select JUST_CFM, making method selection inconsistent with the pairing policy the responder already enforces. When the local side requires HIGH security, first verify that MITM can be achieved from the IO capabilities and then force SMP_AUTH_MITM in the response in both rsp.auth_req and auth. This keeps the responder auth bits and later method selection aligned.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis

A detailed technical summary for this CVE is being prepared.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:>= 3.3, < 5.10.253>= 5.11, < 5.15.203>= 5.16, < 6.1.168>= 6.2, < 6.6.134>= 6.7, < 6.12.81>= 6.13, < 6.18.22>= 6.19, < 6.19.12= 7.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Adjacent
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 5.10.253 / 5.15.203 / 6.1.168 or later
Fixed in 5.10.2535.15.2036.1.168
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to kernel 5.10.253+, 5.15.203+, 6.1.168+, or 6.6.134+ depending on your current branch

  1. Identify the currently running Linux kernel version using 'uname -r'
  2. Check which kernel branch your version belongs to (3.3-5.10.x, 5.11-5.15.x, 5.16-6.1.x, or 6.2-6.6.x)
  3. For 5.10.x branch: upgrade to kernel >= 5.10.253
  4. For 5.11-5.15.x branch: upgrade to kernel >= 5.15.203
  5. For 5.16-6.1.x branch: upgrade to kernel >= 6.1.168
  6. For 6.2-6.6.x branch: upgrade to kernel >= 6.6.134
  7. Alternatively, apply the specific commit 01bb4045d2306c266178f49ce0c3576d237a3040 as a patch to your kernel source and rebuild
  8. Verify the fix is applied by checking the smp_cmd_pairing_req function includes MITM enforcement logic
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require rebuilding out-of-tree kernel modules; ensure compatibility of hardware drivers and system software with the new kernel version

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $1,950. Get the upgrade done

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-43334 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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