CVE-2026-46166
Analyzed Analyzed - Analysis Complete
Use-After-Free in Linux Kernel mac80211 Subsystem

Publication date: 2026-05-28

Last updated on: 2026-06-10

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: mac80211: use safe list iteration in radar detect work The call to ieee80211_dfs_cac_cancel can cause the iterated chanctx to be freed and removed from the list. Guard against this to avoid a slab-use-after-free error.
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Meta Information
Published
2026-05-28
Last Modified
2026-06-10
Generated
2026-06-17
AI Q&A
2026-05-28
EPSS Evaluated
2026-06-16
NVD
CVE-2026-46166
EUVD
EUVD-2026-32793
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 5 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel 7.1
linux linux_kernel 7.1
linux linux_kernel From 6.13 (inc) to 6.18.30 (exc)
linux linux_kernel From 6.19 (inc) to 7.0.7 (exc)
linux linux_kernel From 6.12 (inc) to 6.12.88 (exc)
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
CWE
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KEV
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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 Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.
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Executive Summary

This vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel's wifi mac80211 component. It involves unsafe list iteration during radar detection work. Specifically, a call to ieee80211_dfs_cac_cancel can cause the currently iterated channel context (chanctx) to be freed and removed from the list while it is still being iterated over. This can lead to a slab-use-after-free error, which is a type of memory corruption.

Impact Analysis

The vulnerability can cause a slab-use-after-free error in the Linux kernel's wifi subsystem. This type of memory corruption can potentially lead to system instability, crashes, or unexpected behavior in the wireless networking functionality. In some cases, such memory errors can be exploited to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service, although specific impacts are not detailed here.

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