CVE-2026-46069

Analyzed Analyzed - Analysis Complete

Use-After-Free in Linux Kernel mwifiex WiFi Driver

Publication date: 2026-05-27

Last updated on: 2026-06-24

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: mwifiex: fix use-after-free in mwifiex_adapter_cleanup() The mwifiex_adapter_cleanup() function uses timer_delete() (non-synchronous) for the wakeup_timer before the adapter structure is freed. This is incorrect because timer_delete() does not wait for any running timer callback to complete. If the wakeup_timer callback (wakeup_timer_fn) is executing when mwifiex_adapter_cleanup() is called, the callback will continue to access adapter fields (adapter->hw_status, adapter->if_ops.card_reset, etc.) which may be freed by mwifiex_free_adapter() called later in the mwifiex_remove_card() path. Use timer_delete_sync() instead to ensure any running timer callback has completed before returning.

CVSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-05-27

Last Modified

2026-06-24

Generated

2026-07-06

AI Q&A

2026-05-27

EPSS Evaluated

2026-07-05

NVD

CVE-2026-46069

EUVD

EUVD-2026-32451

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
linux	linux_kernel	From 6.7 (inc) to 6.12.86 (exc)
linux	linux_kernel	From 6.2 (inc) to 6.6.140 (exc)
linux	linux_kernel	From 6.13 (inc) to 6.18.27 (exc)
linux	linux_kernel	From 6.19 (inc) to 7.0.4 (exc)
linux	linux_kernel	From 5.16 (inc) to 6.1.176 (exc)
linux	linux_kernel	From 4.0 (inc) to 5.10.259 (exc)
linux	linux_kernel	From 5.11 (inc) to 5.15.210 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-416	The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel's mwifiex driver, specifically in the mwifiex_adapter_cleanup() function. The issue arises because the function uses timer_delete(), which does not wait for any running timer callback to finish before freeing the adapter structure. If the wakeup_timer callback is running during cleanup, it may access adapter fields that have already been freed, leading to a use-after-free condition.

The correct approach is to use timer_delete_sync(), which ensures that any running timer callback completes before the adapter structure is freed, preventing this unsafe access.

Impact Analysis

This use-after-free vulnerability can lead to undefined behavior such as system crashes, memory corruption, or potential execution of arbitrary code within the kernel context. Such impacts can compromise system stability and security, potentially allowing attackers to escalate privileges or cause denial of service.

Mitigation Strategies

The vulnerability is caused by the use of timer_delete() instead of timer_delete_sync() in the mwifiex_adapter_cleanup() function in the Linux kernel's mwifiex driver.

To mitigate this vulnerability, update your Linux kernel to a version where this issue is fixed, ensuring that mwifiex_adapter_cleanup() uses timer_delete_sync() to properly wait for any running timer callbacks to complete before freeing the adapter structure.

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