CVE-2026-80941

Received Received - Intake

Memory Leak in Linux Kernel WiFi Driver

Publication date: 2026-09-11

Last updated on: 2026-09-11

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: rtw88: Fix potential memory leak in rtw_txq_push_skb() The skb passed to the rtw_hci_tx_write() is expected to be freed when the function fails, but the error path in rtw_txq_push_skb() does not free the skb before returning. This can lead to a memory leak in rtw_txq_push() where a dequeued skb is passed to rtw_txq_push_skb().

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
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Meta Information

Published

2026-09-11

Last Modified

2026-09-11

Generated

2026-09-12

AI Q&A

2026-09-12

EPSS Evaluated

N/A

NVD

CVE-2026-80941

EUVD

EUVD-2026-76264

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
linux	linux_kernel	*

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a memory leak in the Linux kernel's wifi driver rtw88. When a function called rtw_txq_push_skb() fails, it does not free the network packet (skb) that was passed to it. This causes the skb to remain in memory, wasting resources.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's wifi driver rtw88 and involves a memory leak in the rtw_txq_push_skb() function. Detection requires checking for kernel logs or memory usage patterns indicating skb leaks in the rtw88 driver. Commands like dmesg | grep rtw88 or monitoring memory usage with tools like top or ps may help identify unusual memory consumption.

Impact Analysis

The memory leak could gradually consume system memory, leading to degraded performance or crashes. It may affect devices using the rtw88 wifi driver, causing instability in network operations.

Mitigation Strategies

Immediate mitigation involves updating the Linux kernel to a patched version where this issue is resolved. Check your distribution's security updates or kernel patches for CVE-2026-80941. If updating is not immediately possible, consider disabling the rtw88 driver if not in use or applying a vendor-supplied patch.

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