CVE-2026-97492
Received Received - Intake

Memory Corruption in Linux Kernel WiFi Subsystem

Publication date: 2026-09-24

Last updated on: 2026-09-24

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: mac80211: don't call ieee80211_handle_reconfig_failure when not needed In case reconfiguration of NAN fails, we call ieee80211_handle_reconfig_failure, that marks all interfaces as not in the driver. Then, at the error path of the reconfig, cfg80211_shutdown_all_interfaces is called to destroy all the interfaces. If we have any other interface but the NAN one, for example a BSS station, then when its state (links, stations) will be removed, we won't tell the driver about this, because we will think that the interfaces are not in the driver, and then drivers might remain with dangling pointers to objects like stations and links (at least for iwlwifi this is the case). ieee80211_handle_reconfig_failure is meant to be called after we cleaned up the state in the driver, there is no reason to call it for NAN reconfiguration failure. Fix the code to just warn in such a case, as we do in other error paths in reconfig where it is too complicated to rewind.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-09-24
Last Modified
2026-09-24
Generated
2026-09-24
AI Q&A
2026-09-24
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-97492
EUVD
EUVD-2026-86090

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel *

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Exploitability

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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability in the Linux kernel involves a logic error during Wi-Fi reconfiguration. When a NAN (Neighbor Awareness Networking) reconfiguration fails, the system incorrectly marks all interfaces as inactive and fails to properly clean up driver state for other interfaces like BSS stations. This can leave drivers with dangling pointers to objects such as stations and links.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's mac80211 subsystem and involves NAN (Neighbor Awareness Networking) reconfiguration failures. Detection requires checking kernel logs for NAN-related errors or warnings during wireless interface reconfiguration. Look for messages related to ieee80211_handle_reconfig_failure or cfg80211_shutdown_all_interfaces in dmesg or journalctl output.

Impact Analysis

If exploited, this flaw could cause system instability or crashes in affected devices using the Linux kernel. Drivers may fail to properly manage wireless connections, leading to connectivity issues or unexpected behavior in Wi-Fi operations.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the kernel patch that fixes this issue by preventing unnecessary calls to ieee80211_handle_reconfig_failure during NAN reconfiguration failures. Update to a kernel version containing the fix. If immediate patching is not possible, monitor wireless interfaces for instability and avoid NAN-related operations until patched.

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