CVE-2026-98704
Received Received - Intake

Memory Corruption in Linux Kernel WiFi Driver

Publication date: 2026-10-18

Last updated on: 2026-10-18

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: mac80211: keep fallback association elements alive Associating to a non-transmitted MBSSID profile reads freed memory while determining the operating channel and applying HT capabilities. When an association response omits WMM, HT, or VHT information, ieee80211_assoc_config_link() parses the cached BSS IEs and copies the missing element pointers out of that fallback parse. For a non-transmitted MBSSID profile those pointers refer to merged-profile storage owned by the parse object, and the fallback block frees that object at its end. The copied pointers are used afterwards to determine the operating channel, configure bandwidth, and apply HT capabilities. Keep the fallback parse result alive until association setup finishes. [reorder variable declaration]

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Meta Information

Published
2026-10-18
Last Modified
2026-10-18
Generated
2026-10-18
AI Q&A
2026-10-18
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-98704
EUVD
EUVD-2026-103958

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 5 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
Linux Linux 5023b14cf4df4d22e1a80738167f3438c9e62e5f
Linux Linux 5023b14cf4df4d22e1a80738167f3438c9e62e5f
Linux Linux 5023b14cf4df4d22e1a80738167f3438c9e62e5f
Linux Linux 5023b14cf4df4d22e1a80738167f3438c9e62e5f
Linux Linux 5.2

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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 is a memory corruption flaw in the Linux kernel's Wi-Fi subsystem. When a device associates with a non-transmitted MBSSID profile, it reads freed memory while determining the operating channel and applying HT capabilities. This happens because the system copies pointers from a fallback parse that gets freed prematurely, leading to potential use-after-free issues.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability could allow an attacker within Wi-Fi range to cause a denial of service or potentially execute arbitrary code on affected systems. It may lead to system crashes, instability, or unauthorized access if exploited.

Mitigation Strategies

Update the Linux kernel to the latest stable version that includes the fix for this vulnerability. Monitor vendor advisories for patches and apply them promptly.

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