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

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_packe

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.

Description from the National Vulnerability Database, published by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

What it means for a small business

Linux is on the computers, phones or browsers your team uses every day. Turn on automatic updates and restart: most of these fixes only take effect after a restart.

How likely is an attack? The Exploit Prediction Scoring System, run by FIRST (the global association of security response teams), puts the odds of this one being exploited in the next 30 days at 0.21%, higher than 11% of CVEs. That’s low, but low isn’t zero, and the odds jump the day someone publishes an exploit. Scored October 29, 2026, updated daily.

Check your own setup

Website check: reads what your site runs from the outside (WordPress version, plugins it can see, old server software) and matches it against this database.
Server check: what your web server says about itself, and whether that version has known flaws.

Sources

Part of the Huttenlocher Technologies vulnerability database, refreshed twice a day from CISA and the NVD. The title, category and plain-language guidance are ours; check the linked record before acting on a detail. This is general guidance, not a review of your systems.

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