CVE-2026-98331 (GCVE-0-2026-98331)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2026-10-06 08:46 – Updated: 2026-10-07 06:50
VLAI
Title
wifi: mac80211: unlist vifs when their netdev is unregistered
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: mac80211: unlist vifs when their netdev is unregistered mac80211 only removes vifs from the local->interfaces list when an interface is removed via ieee80211_if_remove(), before it unregisters the netdev. However, it's possible for a netdev to be unregistered without going through that: When the netns that holds the wiphy is destroyed, the wiphy is supposed to move to the init_ns, but that can run into allocation failures. Then, mac80211 has an interface listed that doesn't exist, and will eventually hit BUG: failure at net/wireless/core.h:141/wiphy_to_rdev()! ... _cfg80211_unregister_wdev+0x24/0x36a [cfg80211] cfg80211_unregister_wdev+0x15/0x1d [cfg80211] ieee80211_remove_interfaces+0x1ff/0x257 [mac80211] ieee80211_unregister_hw+0x73/0x1d1 [mac80211] mac80211_hwsim_del_radio+0x114/0x166 [mac80211_hwsim] Remove the interface from the list in ->ndo_uninit if it's still around to avoid this.
Severity
7 (High)
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Assigner
References
Impacted products
Vendor Product Version
Linux Linux Affected: 463d018323851a608eef52a9427b0585005c647f , < a22c02863439993095acd0c3db97fa53cd515f4f (git)
Affected: 463d018323851a608eef52a9427b0585005c647f , < 20a56e96a6f7b4dfbd13f8732fd2673409fc7ba0 (git)
Affected: 463d018323851a608eef52a9427b0585005c647f , < b735ad1a9aca6080192c1316cf2706e5e1318762 (git)
Affected: 463d018323851a608eef52a9427b0585005c647f , < d45bf731ec7085d2cc2c5d179d3b3b6c743d4fb1 (git)
Affected: 463d018323851a608eef52a9427b0585005c647f , < 821bab0456dfca12acef6df702c8f2477d313227 (git)
Affected: 463d018323851a608eef52a9427b0585005c647f , < eee2efd82867b623982ac51925b5a1812a74c50d (git)
Create a notification for this product.
Linux Linux Affected: 2.6.32
Unaffected: 0 , < 2.6.32 (semver)
Unaffected: 6.1.189 , ≤ 6.1.* (semver)
Unaffected: 6.6.158 , ≤ 6.6.* (semver)
Unaffected: 6.12.112 , ≤ 6.12.* (semver)
Unaffected: 6.18.54 , ≤ 6.18.* (semver)
Unaffected: 7.2.8 , ≤ 7.2.* (semver)
Unaffected: 7.3-rc4 , ≤ * (original_commit_for_fix)
Create a notification for this product.
Show details on NVD website
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{
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          "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nwifi: mac80211: unlist vifs when their netdev is unregistered\n\nmac80211 only removes vifs from the local-\u003einterfaces list when\nan interface is removed via ieee80211_if_remove(), before it\nunregisters the netdev. However, it\u0027s possible for a netdev to\nbe unregistered without going through that: When the netns that\nholds the wiphy is destroyed, the wiphy is supposed to move to\nthe init_ns, but that can run into allocation failures.\n\nThen, mac80211 has an interface listed that doesn\u0027t exist, and\nwill eventually hit\n\n  BUG: failure at net/wireless/core.h:141/wiphy_to_rdev()!\n  ...\n  _cfg80211_unregister_wdev+0x24/0x36a [cfg80211]\n  cfg80211_unregister_wdev+0x15/0x1d [cfg80211]\n  ieee80211_remove_interfaces+0x1ff/0x257 [mac80211]\n  ieee80211_unregister_hw+0x73/0x1d1 [mac80211]\n  mac80211_hwsim_del_radio+0x114/0x166 [mac80211_hwsim]\n\nRemove the interface from the list in -\u003endo_uninit if it\u0027s still\naround to avoid this."
        }
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            "baseSeverity": "HIGH",
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            "version": "3.1"
          },
          "scenarios": [
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              "lang": "en",
              "value": "AV:L - The trigger is local: tearing down a netns that holds a mac80211 wiphy runs cfg80211_pernet_exit()-\u003ecfg80211_switch_netns(). When dev_change_net_namespace() fails there, default_device_exit_batch() unregisters the netdev while ieee80211_uninit() leaves its sdata on local-\u003einterfaces. No WiFi frame supplies the failing state.\nAC:H - It needs a wiphy already moved into an attacker-controlled netns (an admin step), plus a failed move back. The attacker can force the failure: an altname on the wlan netdev that clashes with an init_net name makes __dev_change_net_namespace() return -EEXIST, because cfg80211 doesn\u0027t strip altnames. The rare alternative is an allocation failure.\nPR:L - With a phy delegated to a container, root in that user-namespace-owned netns, which is unprivileged on the host, can add the altname via RTM_NEWLINKPROP and destroy the netns. Moving a phy out of init_net yourself needs init-ns CAP_NET_ADMIN, and hwsim radios made in a user netns are deleted by hwsim_exit_net() before cfg80211 runs.\nUI:N - The container root adds the altname and exits the namespace on their own. No other user has to do anything.\nS:U - This is memory corruption in the host kernel\u0027s mac80211 interface list. Exploiting it is ordinary kernel privilege escalation within the same kernel authority; no hypervisor or IOMMU boundary is involved.\nC:H - The netdev is freed via needs_free_netdev, but its sdata stays on local-\u003einterfaces. Every received frame then makes __ieee80211_rx_handle_packet() read the freed sdata through list_for_each_entry_rcu(), which gives a use-after-free read of an object an attacker can reallocate.\nI:H - Later removal of a neighbouring interface (list_del_rcu) and ieee80211_remove_interfaces() write into and dereference the stale sdata. That is a use-after-free write that heap reallocation could turn into memory corruption.\nA:H - The dangling entry crashes the kernel: the commit shows a BUG in wiphy_to_rdev() reached from ieee80211_remove_interfaces() during ieee80211_unregister_hw(), and frame RX can touch freed memory."
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "providerMetadata": {
        "dateUpdated": "2026-10-07T06:50:06.466Z",
        "orgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
        "shortName": "Linux"
      },
      "references": [
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        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/20a56e96a6f7b4dfbd13f8732fd2673409fc7ba0"
        },
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          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b735ad1a9aca6080192c1316cf2706e5e1318762"
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        {
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      "title": "wifi: mac80211: unlist vifs when their netdev is unregistered",
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    "assignerShortName": "Linux",
    "cveId": "CVE-2026-98331",
    "datePublished": "2026-10-06T08:46:23.481Z",
    "dateReserved": "2026-09-25T10:25:14.341Z",
    "dateUpdated": "2026-10-07T06:50:06.466Z",
    "state": "PUBLISHED"
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      "date": "2026-10-22",
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      "status": "final",
      "title": "wifi: mac80211: unlist vifs when their netdev is unregistered",
      "url": "https://msrc.microsoft.com/csaf/vex/2026/msrc_cve-2026-98331.json",
      "version": "4"
    },
    "nvd": {
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            "lang": "en",
            "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nwifi: mac80211: unlist vifs when their netdev is unregistered\n\nmac80211 only removes vifs from the local-\u003einterfaces list when\nan interface is removed via ieee80211_if_remove(), before it\nunregisters the netdev. However, it\u0027s possible for a netdev to\nbe unregistered without going through that: When the netns that\nholds the wiphy is destroyed, the wiphy is supposed to move to\nthe init_ns, but that can run into allocation failures.\n\nThen, mac80211 has an interface listed that doesn\u0027t exist, and\nwill eventually hit\n\n  BUG: failure at net/wireless/core.h:141/wiphy_to_rdev()!\n  ...\n  _cfg80211_unregister_wdev+0x24/0x36a [cfg80211]\n  cfg80211_unregister_wdev+0x15/0x1d [cfg80211]\n  ieee80211_remove_interfaces+0x1ff/0x257 [mac80211]\n  ieee80211_unregister_hw+0x73/0x1d1 [mac80211]\n  mac80211_hwsim_del_radio+0x114/0x166 [mac80211_hwsim]\n\nRemove the interface from the list in -\u003endo_uninit if it\u0027s still\naround to avoid this."
          }
        ],
        "id": "CVE-2026-98331",
        "lastModified": "2026-10-19T10:18:35.267",
        "metrics": {
          "cvssMetricV31": [
            {
              "cvssData": {
                "attackComplexity": "HIGH",
                "attackVector": "LOCAL",
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                "baseScore": 7.0,
                "baseSeverity": "HIGH",
                "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH",
                "integrityImpact": "HIGH",
                "privilegesRequired": "LOW",
                "scope": "UNCHANGED",
                "userInteraction": "NONE",
                "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
                "version": "3.1"
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              "impactScore": 5.9,
              "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
              "type": "Secondary"
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        "published": "2026-10-06T09:18:25.517",
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          }
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        "vulnStatus": "Received"
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      "current_release_date": "2026-10-10T09:35:29+00:00",
      "cve": "CVE-2026-98331",
      "id": "CVE-2026-98331",
      "initial_release_date": "2026-10-06T00:00:00+00:00",
      "product_status:known_affected": "277",
      "source": "Red Hat CSAF VEX",
      "status": "final",
      "title": "kernel: wifi: mac80211: unlist vifs when their netdev is unregistered",
      "url": "https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-98331.json",
      "version": "3"
    },
    "suse_vex": {
      "aggregate_severity": "moderate",
      "current_release_date": "2026-10-07T00:00:37Z",
      "cve": "CVE-2026-98331",
      "id": "CVE-2026-98331",
      "initial_release_date": "2026-10-07T00:00:37Z",
      "product_status:known_affected": "269",
      "product_status:known_not_affected": "78",
      "source": "SUSE CSAF VEX",
      "status": "interim",
      "title": "SUSE CVE CVE-2026-98331",
      "url": "https://ftp.suse.com/pub/projects/security/csaf-vex/2026/cve-2026-98331.json",
      "version": "2"
    }
  }
}



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