CVE-2026-80942

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: rtlwifi: rtl8192du: Fix possible memory leak in rtl92du_init_sw_vars() The memory allocated inside rtl92du_init_shared_data() is not freed in any of the subsequent error paths in rtl92du_init_sw_vars(). Fix that by adding a call to rtl92du_deinit_shared_data() in the error path.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
Percentile:

Meta Information

Published

2026-09-11

Last Modified

2026-09-11

Generated

2026-10-02

AI Q&A

2026-09-12

EPSS Evaluated

2026-10-01

NVD

CVE-2026-80942

EUVD

EUVD-2026-76265

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
linux_kernel	rtlwifi	rtl8192du

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This is a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's RTL8192DU WiFi driver. The issue occurs in the rtl92du_init_sw_vars() function where memory allocated by rtl92du_init_shared_data() is not properly freed when errors occur in subsequent code paths.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's RTL8192DU WiFi driver and involves a memory leak in error paths. Detection requires checking for kernel logs or memory usage patterns related to the rtlwifi driver. Commands like dmesg | grep rtlwifi or monitoring memory usage with tools like top or htop may help identify unusual behavior.

Impact Analysis

The memory leak could gradually consume system memory over time, potentially leading to degraded performance or system instability if the driver is frequently used or encounters errors. This may cause applications to slow down or crash.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability is a memory leak in the Linux kernel's wifi driver (rtlwifi: rtl8192du). It does not directly affect compliance with standards like GDPR or HIPAA, as those focus on data protection and privacy rather than memory management issues.

Mitigation Strategies

Update your Linux kernel to the latest patched version to resolve the memory leak in the rtl8192du driver. Check your distribution's security updates or kernel release notes for the fix.

Hi! I’m here to help you understand CVE-2026-80942. Ask me anything about the vulnerability, its impact, or mitigation strategies.

0/70