Junglewise Threat Intelligence

CVE-2026-53208: Linux Kernel Bluetooth L2CAP traffic amplification via MTUsig bypass

CVE-2026-53208 · Severity: info · CVSS 0 · Published 2026-06-25

Technologies: Linux Kernel. Vendors: Linux.

Executive brief

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's Bluetooth subsystem could allow an attacker within radio range to overwhelm a device with network traffic. By sending specially crafted Bluetooth signaling packets, an unauthenticated attacker can force the target system to generate a large volume of response messages. This can lead to degraded performance or a temporary denial of service for Bluetooth operations.

Technical details

The l2cap_sig_channel() function in net/bluetooth/l2cap_core.c accepts BR/EDR signaling packets up to the general channel MTU rather than enforcing the specific signaling MTU (MTUsig). An unauthenticated attacker within Bluetooth radio range can send a single 681-byte signaling packet containing multiple packed L2CAP_ECHO_REQ commands. Because the kernel dispatches each command without checking the aggregate signaling MTU, it will generate a corresponding L2CAP_ECHO_RSP for every request in the packet, leading to a traffic amplification/denial-of-service condition. The fix enforces the spec-minimum MTUsig of 48 bytes and rejects oversized packets before command dispatch.

Affected products

  • Linux Linux Kernel All versions prior to fix

Timeline

  • 2026-06-25: disclosed
  • 2026-06-25: advisory

References

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