CVE-2026-98348

Received Received - Intake

BaseFortify

Publication date: 2026-10-06

Last updated on: 2026-10-19

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: libipw: reject too-short association responses libipw_handle_assoc_resp() reads the capability, status and aid fields of the 30-byte association response prefix and then computes the information element length as stats->len - sizeof(*frame) stats->len is a u16 and sizeof() has type size_t, so the subtraction is evaluated as size_t and wraps instead of going negative. Truncating that to the u16 length parameter of libipw_parse_info_param() turns a frame shorter than the fixed fields into a length near 64 KiB, and the parser then reads past the receive buffer. Both the ipw2100 and ipw2200 management receive paths reach this function having established only that the frame carries the generic 24-byte three-address header. Reject the frame before any fixed field is touched. Found by an AI-assisted review of length arithmetic in management frame parsers. Verified with a KUnit case under Generic KASAN on arm64 under QEMU; I do not have the hardware, so it is not tested on a real device.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
Percentile:

Meta Information

Published

2026-10-06

Last Modified

2026-10-19

Generated

2026-10-19

AI Q&A

2026-10-06

EPSS Evaluated

2026-10-18

NVD

CVE-2026-98348

EUVD

EUVD-2026-93333

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
Linux	Linux	9e8571affd1c54b9638b4ff9844e47aae07310f6
Linux	Linux	9e8571affd1c54b9638b4ff9844e47aae07310f6
Linux	Linux	9e8571affd1c54b9638b4ff9844e47aae07310f6
Linux	Linux	9e8571affd1c54b9638b4ff9844e47aae07310f6
Linux	Linux	9e8571affd1c54b9638b4ff9844e47aae07310f6
Linux	Linux	9e8571affd1c54b9638b4ff9844e47aae07310f6
Linux	Linux	9e8571affd1c54b9638b4ff9844e47aae07310f6
Linux	Linux	9e8571affd1c54b9638b4ff9844e47aae07310f6
Linux	Linux	2.6.15

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability in the Linux kernel involves improper handling of association responses in the wifi subsystem. The function libipw_handle_assoc_resp() incorrectly calculates the length of received frames, leading to buffer over-reads. Specifically, it fails to reject frames shorter than the required fixed fields, causing the parser to read beyond the allocated buffer.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability affects the Linux kernel's wifi subsystem, specifically the libipw driver for ipw2100 and ipw2200 devices. Detection requires checking if your system uses these drivers and examining kernel logs for malformed association responses. Use commands like 'lsmod | grep ipw' to check loaded drivers and 'dmesg | grep libipw' to review kernel logs for errors.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability could allow an attacker within Wi-Fi range to trigger a buffer over-read in the kernel, potentially causing system crashes or information leaks. It affects systems using the ipw2100 or ipw2200 wireless drivers.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability does not directly affect compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, or similar standards. It is a low-level WiFi driver issue in the Linux kernel that could lead to buffer overflows during association responses. Compliance impact would depend on system-specific configurations and whether such vulnerabilities are exploited in environments handling sensitive data.

Mitigation Strategies

Update your Linux kernel to the latest patched version to resolve this issue. If using affected hardware (ipw2100 or ipw2200), disable the libipw driver if not required. Monitor vendor advisories for firmware updates.

Hi! I’m here to help you understand CVE-2026-98348. Ask me anything about the vulnerability, its impact, or mitigation strategies.

0/70