CVE-2026-97511
Received Received - Intake

Out-of-Bounds Access in Linux Kernel WiFi Driver

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: avoid out-of-bounds access in monitor In NAN, we don't know on what band the frame will be sent. Therefore we set info->band to NUM_NL80211_BANDS. However, this leads to out-of-bound access in ieee80211_add_tx_radiotap_header when we try to access the sbands array. Fix it by not accessing the array if the band is NUM_NL80211_BANDS. This means that we will not report rate info for legacy rate in NAN. But nobody really cares about it.

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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-2026-97511
EUVD
EUVD-2026-86109

Affected Vendors & Products

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

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Exploitability

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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Executive Summary

This is a vulnerability in the Linux kernel's wifi subsystem, specifically in the mac80211 component. It involves an out-of-bounds memory access when handling NAN (Neighbor Awareness Networking) frames. The issue occurs because the code sets a band value to an invalid index (NUM_NL80211_BANDS) which leads to accessing an array outside its bounds during radiotap header processing.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability involves an out-of-bounds access in the Linux kernel's mac80211 module related to NAN (Wi-Fi Neighbor Awareness Networking) frames. Detection requires checking for kernel logs or crashes related to mac80211 or NAN functionality. Monitor system logs for kernel oops or warnings about array bounds violations in wireless drivers.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability could potentially cause system crashes or instability in the Linux kernel when processing certain wifi frames. It may lead to denial-of-service conditions if exploited maliciously. However, the impact is limited to wifi functionality and does not directly affect other system components.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest Linux kernel update that includes the fix for this issue. If updating is not immediately possible, disable NAN functionality in your Wi-Fi driver or network configuration to prevent the out-of-bounds access. Restrict use of Wi-Fi Neighbor Awareness Networking until patched.

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