{"id":"CVE-2026-19738","aliases":["EUVD-2026-97107","GHSA-6mcj-5jw8-ff36"],"status":"published","title":"Retained RX node leak and reachable assertion in Bluetooth Controller CIS Create procedures","description":"The Bluetooth Link Layer Control Procedure (LLCP) implementation for Connected Isochronous Stream (CIS) creation retains an RX node (ctx-\u003enode_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.\n\nA 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.\n\nIn 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.","severity":{"version":"3.1","score":6.5,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H","level":"medium","assessor":"cna","from":"cve"},"epss":{"day":"2026-11-11","score":0.00104,"percentile":0.01041,"model":"v2026.06.15"},"facts":{"in_kev":false,"known_exploited":false,"public_exploit":false,"fix_available":false},"cwes":["CWE-401"],"published":"2026-10-11T17:15:04Z","modified":"2026-11-04T05:18:50Z","products":[{"vendor":"zephyrproject","product":"zephyr"},{"vendor":"zephyrproject-rtos","product":"zephyr"}],"references":[{"url":"https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/commit/fde17f2c3de0118f3796c2a83958ee4ce4b5efd6","tags":["patch","fix"]},{"url":"https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/security/advisories/GHSA-6mcj-5jw8-ff36","tags":["advisory"]},{"url":"https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/19xxx/CVE-2026-19738.json","tags":["advisory"]},{"url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-19738","tags":["advisory"]},{"url":"https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr","tags":["package"]}],"sources":{"cve":[{"id":"CVE-2026-19738","title":"Retained RX node leak and reachable assertion in Bluetooth Controller CIS Create procedures","description":"The Bluetooth Link Layer Control Procedure (LLCP) implementation for Connected Isochronous Stream (CIS) creation retains an RX node (ctx-\u003enode_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.\n\nA 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.\n\nIn 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.","status":"published","published":"2026-10-11T17:15:04.97Z","modified":"2026-11-04T05:00:56.743Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":6.5,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H","level":"medium","assessor":"cna"}],"cwes":["CWE-401"],"updated_at":"2026-11-04T06:53:01.479776Z"}],"euvd":[{"id":"EUVD-2026-97107","description":"The Bluetooth Link Layer Control Procedure (LLCP) implementation for Connected Isochronous Stream (CIS) creation retains an RX node (ctx-\u003enode_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.\n\nA 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.\n\nIn 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.","status":"published","published":"2026-10-11T17:15:04Z","modified":"2026-11-04T05:00:56Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":6.5,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H","level":"medium"}],"updated_at":"2026-11-04T07:00:56.104537Z"}],"nvd":[{"id":"CVE-2026-19738","description":"The Bluetooth Link Layer Control Procedure (LLCP) implementation for Connected Isochronous Stream (CIS) creation retains an RX node (ctx-\u003enode_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.\n\nA 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.\n\nIn 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.","status":"published","published":"2026-10-11T18:16:59.05Z","modified":"2026-11-04T05:18:50.41Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":6.5,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H","level":"medium","assessor":"secondary"}],"cwes":["CWE-401"],"updated_at":"2026-11-04T06:53:24.125861Z"}],"osv":[{"id":"CVE-2026-19738","title":"Retained RX node leak and reachable assertion in Bluetooth Controller CIS Create procedures","description":"The Bluetooth Link Layer Control Procedure (LLCP) implementation for Connected Isochronous Stream (CIS) creation retains an RX node (ctx-\u003enode_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.\n\nA 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.\n\nIn 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.","status":"published","published":"2026-10-11T17:15:04.97Z","modified":"2026-11-05T08:07:07.398835996Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":6.5,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H","level":"medium"}],"cwes":["CWE-401"],"updated_at":"2026-11-05T09:08:14.330889Z"}]}}