Memory Leak in Linux Kernel MT76 WiFi Driver

Publication date: 2026-06-24

Last updated on: 2026-07-23

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: mt76: Fix memory leak destroying device All MT76 rx queues have an associated page_pool even if the queue is not associated to a NAPI (e.g. WED RRO queues with WED enabled). Destroy the page_pool running mt76_dma_cleanup routine during module unload. Moreover returns pages to the page pool if WED is not enabled for WED RRO queues.

CVSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-06-24

Last Modified

2026-07-23

Generated

2026-08-04

AI Q&A

2026-06-24

EPSS Evaluated

2026-08-02

NVD

CVE-2026-53104

EUVD

EUVD-2026-38972

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
linux	linux_kernel	From 6.19 (inc) to 7.0.10 (exc)
linux	linux_kernel	From 6.8 (inc) to 6.18.33 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-401	The product does not sufficiently track and release allocated memory after it has been used, making the memory unavailable for reallocation and reuse.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a memory leak in the Linux kernel's MT76 wireless driver. Specifically, all MT76 receive (rx) queues have an associated page_pool, even if the queue is not linked to a NAPI (New API) context, such as WED RRO queues when WED is enabled. The issue occurs because the page_pool is not properly destroyed during module unload, leading to a memory leak. The fix involves running the mt76_dma_cleanup routine to destroy the page_pool and returning pages to the page pool if WED is not enabled for WED RRO queues.

Impact Analysis

This memory leak can cause the system to consume more memory over time, potentially leading to degraded performance or system instability. In environments where the MT76 wireless driver is used, especially with WED enabled, the leak could accumulate and exhaust available memory resources, possibly causing crashes or denial of service conditions.

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