Vulnerability-Lookup

GHSA-WM55-5W39-6WJ2

Vulnerability from github – Published: 2026-10-06 09:31 – Updated: 2026-10-07 09:32

Details

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

wifi: mac80211: unlist vifs when their netdev is unregistered

mac80211 only removes vifs from the local->interfaces list when an interface is removed via ieee80211_if_remove(), before it unregisters the netdev. However, it's possible for a netdev to be unregistered without going through that: When the netns that holds the wiphy is destroyed, the wiphy is supposed to move to the init_ns, but that can run into allocation failures.

Then, mac80211 has an interface listed that doesn't exist, and will eventually hit

BUG: failure at net/wireless/core.h:141/wiphy_to_rdev()! ... _cfg80211_unregister_wdev+0x24/0x36a [cfg80211] cfg80211_unregister_wdev+0x15/0x1d [cfg80211] ieee80211_remove_interfaces+0x1ff/0x257 [mac80211] ieee80211_unregister_hw+0x73/0x1d1 [mac80211] mac80211_hwsim_del_radio+0x114/0x166 [mac80211_hwsim]

Remove the interface from the list in ->ndo_uninit if it's still around to avoid this.

Severity

7.0 (High)


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

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{
  "affected": [],
  "aliases": [
    "CVE-2026-98331"
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "cwe_ids": [],
    "github_reviewed": false,
    "github_reviewed_at": null,
    "nvd_published_at": "2026-10-06T09:18:25Z",
    "severity": "HIGH"
  },
  "details": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nwifi: mac80211: unlist vifs when their netdev is unregistered\n\nmac80211 only removes vifs from the local-\u003einterfaces list when\nan interface is removed via ieee80211_if_remove(), before it\nunregisters the netdev. However, it\u0027s possible for a netdev to\nbe unregistered without going through that: When the netns that\nholds the wiphy is destroyed, the wiphy is supposed to move to\nthe init_ns, but that can run into allocation failures.\n\nThen, mac80211 has an interface listed that doesn\u0027t exist, and\nwill eventually hit\n\n  BUG: failure at net/wireless/core.h:141/wiphy_to_rdev()!\n  ...\n  _cfg80211_unregister_wdev+0x24/0x36a [cfg80211]\n  cfg80211_unregister_wdev+0x15/0x1d [cfg80211]\n  ieee80211_remove_interfaces+0x1ff/0x257 [mac80211]\n  ieee80211_unregister_hw+0x73/0x1d1 [mac80211]\n  mac80211_hwsim_del_radio+0x114/0x166 [mac80211_hwsim]\n\nRemove the interface from the list in -\u003endo_uninit if it\u0027s still\naround to avoid this.",
  "id": "GHSA-wm55-5w39-6wj2",
  "modified": "2026-10-07T09:32:16Z",
  "published": "2026-10-06T09:31:35Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98331"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/20a56e96a6f7b4dfbd13f8732fd2673409fc7ba0"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/821bab0456dfca12acef6df702c8f2477d313227"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a22c02863439993095acd0c3db97fa53cd515f4f"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b735ad1a9aca6080192c1316cf2706e5e1318762"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d45bf731ec7085d2cc2c5d179d3b3b6c743d4fb1"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/eee2efd82867b623982ac51925b5a1812a74c50d"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.4.0",
  "severity": [
    {
      "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
      "type": "CVSS_V3"
    }
  ]
}

CVE-2026-98331 (GCVE-0-2026-98331)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2026-10-06 08:46 – Updated: 2026-10-07 06:50

Title

wifi: mac80211: unlist vifs when their netdev is unregistered

Summary

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: mac80211: unlist vifs when their netdev is unregistered mac80211 only removes vifs from the local->interfaces list when an interface is removed via ieee80211_if_remove(), before it unregisters the netdev. However, it's possible for a netdev to be unregistered without going through that: When the netns that holds the wiphy is destroyed, the wiphy is supposed to move to the init_ns, but that can run into allocation failures. Then, mac80211 has an interface listed that doesn't exist, and will eventually hit BUG: failure at net/wireless/core.h:141/wiphy_to_rdev()! ... _cfg80211_unregister_wdev+0x24/0x36a [cfg80211] cfg80211_unregister_wdev+0x15/0x1d [cfg80211] ieee80211_remove_interfaces+0x1ff/0x257 [mac80211] ieee80211_unregister_hw+0x73/0x1d1 [mac80211] mac80211_hwsim_del_radio+0x114/0x166 [mac80211_hwsim] Remove the interface from the list in ->ndo_uninit if it's still around to avoid this.

Severity

7 (High)


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

Assigner

Linux CNA under the mitre root

CNA scorecard D 53/100 over 7100 records in the last 180 days details

References

6 references

URL	Tags
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a22c0286343999309…
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/20a56e96a6f7b4dfb…
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b735ad1a9aca60801…
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d45bf731ec7085d2c…
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/821bab0456dfca12a…
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/eee2efd82867b6239…

Impacted products

2 products

Vendor	Product	Version
Linux	Linux	Affected: 463d018323851a608eef52a9427b0585005c647f , < a22c02863439993095acd0c3db97fa53cd515f4f (git) Affected: 463d018323851a608eef52a9427b0585005c647f , < 20a56e96a6f7b4dfbd13f8732fd2673409fc7ba0 (git) Affected: 463d018323851a608eef52a9427b0585005c647f , < b735ad1a9aca6080192c1316cf2706e5e1318762 (git) Affected: 463d018323851a608eef52a9427b0585005c647f , < d45bf731ec7085d2cc2c5d179d3b3b6c743d4fb1 (git) Affected: 463d018323851a608eef52a9427b0585005c647f , < 821bab0456dfca12acef6df702c8f2477d313227 (git) Affected: 463d018323851a608eef52a9427b0585005c647f , < eee2efd82867b623982ac51925b5a1812a74c50d (git)
Linux	Linux	Affected: 2.6.32 Unaffected: 0 , < 2.6.32 (semver) Unaffected: 6.1.189 , ≤ 6.1.* (semver) Unaffected: 6.6.158 , ≤ 6.6.* (semver) Unaffected: 6.12.112 , ≤ 6.12.* (semver) Unaffected: 6.18.54 , ≤ 6.18.* (semver) Unaffected: 7.2.8 , ≤ 7.2.* (semver) Unaffected: 7.3-rc4 , ≤ * (original_commit_for_fix)

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{
  "containers": {
    "cna": {
      "affected": [
        {
          "defaultStatus": "unaffected",
          "product": "Linux",
          "programFiles": [
            "net/mac80211/iface.c"
          ],
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              "status": "affected",
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              "version": "0",
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            {
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              "status": "unaffected",
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              "status": "unaffected",
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              "versionType": "semver"
            },
            {
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          "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nwifi: mac80211: unlist vifs when their netdev is unregistered\n\nmac80211 only removes vifs from the local-\u003einterfaces list when\nan interface is removed via ieee80211_if_remove(), before it\nunregisters the netdev. However, it\u0027s possible for a netdev to\nbe unregistered without going through that: When the netns that\nholds the wiphy is destroyed, the wiphy is supposed to move to\nthe init_ns, but that can run into allocation failures.\n\nThen, mac80211 has an interface listed that doesn\u0027t exist, and\nwill eventually hit\n\n  BUG: failure at net/wireless/core.h:141/wiphy_to_rdev()!\n  ...\n  _cfg80211_unregister_wdev+0x24/0x36a [cfg80211]\n  cfg80211_unregister_wdev+0x15/0x1d [cfg80211]\n  ieee80211_remove_interfaces+0x1ff/0x257 [mac80211]\n  ieee80211_unregister_hw+0x73/0x1d1 [mac80211]\n  mac80211_hwsim_del_radio+0x114/0x166 [mac80211_hwsim]\n\nRemove the interface from the list in -\u003endo_uninit if it\u0027s still\naround to avoid this."
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              "value": "AV:L - The trigger is local: tearing down a netns that holds a mac80211 wiphy runs cfg80211_pernet_exit()-\u003ecfg80211_switch_netns(). When dev_change_net_namespace() fails there, default_device_exit_batch() unregisters the netdev while ieee80211_uninit() leaves its sdata on local-\u003einterfaces. No WiFi frame supplies the failing state.\nAC:H - It needs a wiphy already moved into an attacker-controlled netns (an admin step), plus a failed move back. The attacker can force the failure: an altname on the wlan netdev that clashes with an init_net name makes __dev_change_net_namespace() return -EEXIST, because cfg80211 doesn\u0027t strip altnames. The rare alternative is an allocation failure.\nPR:L - With a phy delegated to a container, root in that user-namespace-owned netns, which is unprivileged on the host, can add the altname via RTM_NEWLINKPROP and destroy the netns. Moving a phy out of init_net yourself needs init-ns CAP_NET_ADMIN, and hwsim radios made in a user netns are deleted by hwsim_exit_net() before cfg80211 runs.\nUI:N - The container root adds the altname and exits the namespace on their own. No other user has to do anything.\nS:U - This is memory corruption in the host kernel\u0027s mac80211 interface list. Exploiting it is ordinary kernel privilege escalation within the same kernel authority; no hypervisor or IOMMU boundary is involved.\nC:H - The netdev is freed via needs_free_netdev, but its sdata stays on local-\u003einterfaces. Every received frame then makes __ieee80211_rx_handle_packet() read the freed sdata through list_for_each_entry_rcu(), which gives a use-after-free read of an object an attacker can reallocate.\nI:H - Later removal of a neighbouring interface (list_del_rcu) and ieee80211_remove_interfaces() write into and dereference the stale sdata. That is a use-after-free write that heap reallocation could turn into memory corruption.\nA:H - The dangling entry crashes the kernel: the commit shows a BUG in wiphy_to_rdev() reached from ieee80211_remove_interfaces() during ieee80211_unregister_hw(), and frame RX can touch freed memory."
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    "datePublished": "2026-10-06T08:46:23.481Z",
    "dateReserved": "2026-09-25T10:25:14.341Z",
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    "state": "PUBLISHED"
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}

Sightings

Author	Source	Type	Date	Other

Nomenclature

Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
Exploited: The vulnerability was observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.

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