{ "dataType": "CVE_RECORD", "dataVersion": "5.2", "cveMetadata": { "cveId": "CVE-2026-23444", "assignerOrgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67", "state": "PUBLISHED", "assignerShortName": "Linux", "dateReserved": "2026-01-13T15:37:46.019Z", "datePublished": "2026-04-03T15:15:28.464Z", "dateUpdated": "2026-08-05T12:21:47.685Z" }, "containers": { "cna": { "providerMetadata": { "orgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67", "shortName": "Linux", "dateUpdated": "2026-08-05T12:21:47.685Z" }, "descriptions": [ { "lang": "en", "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nwifi: mac80211: always free skb on ieee80211_tx_prepare_skb() failure\n\nieee80211_tx_prepare_skb() has three error paths, but only two of them\nfree the skb. The first error path (ieee80211_tx_prepare() returning\nTX_DROP) does not free it, while invoke_tx_handlers() failure and the\nfragmentation check both do.\n\nAdd kfree_skb() to the first error path so all three are consistent,\nand remove the now-redundant frees in callers (ath9k, mt76,\nmac80211_hwsim) to avoid double-free.\n\nDocument the skb ownership guarantee in the function's kdoc." } ], "metrics": [ { "cvssV3_1": { "version": "3.1", "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H", "baseScore": 7.8, "baseSeverity": "HIGH" }, "scenarios": [ { "lang": "en", "value": "AV:L - The vulnerable mac80211 helper is reached from local nl80211 operations such as setting wireless parameters and triggering hardware scans, not from received WiFi frames. A local attacker can drive affected scan paths through the kernel's generic netlink API.\nAC:L - The failure path can be triggered deterministically on an affected device by choosing scan parameters that produce a directed, oversized probe request with a low fragmentation threshold. No race or condition outside the attacker's control is required once the affected driver/path is available.\nPR:L - The reachable nl80211 commands are guarded by GENL_UNS_ADMIN_PERM/CAP_NET_ADMIN in the relevant network namespace, which is low privilege for CVSS purposes and can be reachable through user namespaces in plausible deployments. It does not require full init-namespace root.\nUI:N - After obtaining the needed local privileges, the attacker can issue the netlink operations directly. No separate victim action is required.\nS:U - The bug corrupts kernel networking memory within the same kernel security authority. It does not cross a VM, hypervisor, or separate security-scope boundary.\nC:H - The vulnerable failure path creates a double-free/use-after-free of an sk_buff, which is kernel heap memory corruption. Such corruption can plausibly be exploited for kernel memory disclosure, so confidentiality impact is high.\nI:H - The double-free/use-after-free can plausibly be turned into kernel heap manipulation and control-flow or data corruption. Under the required overestimate rule, this supports high integrity impact.\nA:H - Even without full exploitation, the double-free/use-after-free can trigger slab corruption, warnings, oopses, or kernel panic. Availability impact is therefore high." } ] } ], "affected": [ { "product": "Linux", "vendor": "Linux", "defaultStatus": "unaffected", "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git", "programFiles": [ "drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/channel.c", "drivers/net/wireless/mediatek/mt76/scan.c", "drivers/net/wireless/virtual/mac80211_hwsim.c", "include/net/mac80211.h", "net/mac80211/tx.c" ], "versions": [ { "version": "06be6b149f7e406bcf16098567f5a6c9f042bced", "lessThan": "905ef207d5ed99ca64adfe39fba9ac46e434327a", "status": "affected", "versionType": "git" }, { "version": "06be6b149f7e406bcf16098567f5a6c9f042bced", "lessThan": "5ef8ca1c164786da24169af155c1ca1ff1353cf8", "status": "affected", "versionType": "git" }, { "version": "06be6b149f7e406bcf16098567f5a6c9f042bced", "lessThan": "9a779d1f480e83720b5384adf165604e7ee226bd", "status": "affected", "versionType": "git" }, { "version": "06be6b149f7e406bcf16098567f5a6c9f042bced", "lessThan": "f77b51bcee7be2bb686b5f7a2d4a1921e4bdb9f4", "status": "affected", "versionType": "git" }, { "version": "06be6b149f7e406bcf16098567f5a6c9f042bced", "lessThan": "3b4d27acafaeab478fd24f79ad6e593a892828b9", "status": "affected", "versionType": "git" }, { "version": "06be6b149f7e406bcf16098567f5a6c9f042bced", "lessThan": "06e769dddcbeb3baf2ce346273b53dd61fdbecf4", "status": "affected", "versionType": "git" }, { "version": "06be6b149f7e406bcf16098567f5a6c9f042bced", "lessThan": "50f1b690b4868923fbd242298def2fb88662f108", "status": "affected", "versionType": "git" }, { "version": "06be6b149f7e406bcf16098567f5a6c9f042bced", "lessThan": "d5ad6ab61cbd89afdb60881f6274f74328af3ee9", "status": "affected", "versionType": "git" } ] }, { "product": "Linux", "vendor": "Linux", "defaultStatus": "affected", "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git", "programFiles": [ "drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/channel.c", "drivers/net/wireless/mediatek/mt76/scan.c", "drivers/net/wireless/virtual/mac80211_hwsim.c", "include/net/mac80211.h", "net/mac80211/tx.c" ], "versions": [ { "version": "3.13", "status": "affected" }, { "version": "0", "lessThan": "3.13", "status": "unaffected", "versionType": "semver" }, { "version": "5.10.258", "lessThanOrEqual": "5.10.*", "status": "unaffected", "versionType": "semver" }, { "version": "5.15.209", "lessThanOrEqual": "5.15.*", "status": "unaffected", "versionType": "semver" }, { "version": "6.1.175", "lessThanOrEqual": "6.1.*", "status": "unaffected", "versionType": "semver" }, { "version": "6.6.136", "lessThanOrEqual": "6.6.*", "status": "unaffected", "versionType": "semver" }, { "version": "6.12.84", "lessThanOrEqual": "6.12.*", "status": "unaffected", "versionType": "semver" }, { "version": "6.18.20", "lessThanOrEqual": "6.18.*", "status": "unaffected", "versionType": "semver" }, { "version": "6.19.10", "lessThanOrEqual": "6.19.*", "status": "unaffected", "versionType": "semver" }, { "version": "7.0", "lessThanOrEqual": "*", "status": "unaffected", "versionType": "original_commit_for_fix" } ] } ], "cpeApplicability": [ { "nodes": [ { "operator": "OR", "negate": false, "cpeMatch": [ { "vulnerable": true, "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*", "versionStartIncluding": "3.13", "versionEndExcluding": "5.10.258" }, { "vulnerable": true, "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*", "versionStartIncluding": "3.13", "versionEndExcluding": "5.15.209" }, { "vulnerable": true, "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*", "versionStartIncluding": "3.13", "versionEndExcluding": "6.1.175" }, { "vulnerable": true, "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*", "versionStartIncluding": "3.13", "versionEndExcluding": "6.6.136" }, { "vulnerable": true, "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*", "versionStartIncluding": "3.13", "versionEndExcluding": "6.12.84" }, { "vulnerable": true, "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*", "versionStartIncluding": "3.13", "versionEndExcluding": "6.18.20" }, { "vulnerable": true, "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*", "versionStartIncluding": "3.13", "versionEndExcluding": "6.19.10" }, { "vulnerable": true, "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*", "versionStartIncluding": "3.13", "versionEndExcluding": "7.0" } ] } ] } ], "references": [ { "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/905ef207d5ed99ca64adfe39fba9ac46e434327a" }, { "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5ef8ca1c164786da24169af155c1ca1ff1353cf8" }, { "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9a779d1f480e83720b5384adf165604e7ee226bd" }, { "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f77b51bcee7be2bb686b5f7a2d4a1921e4bdb9f4" }, { "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3b4d27acafaeab478fd24f79ad6e593a892828b9" }, { "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/06e769dddcbeb3baf2ce346273b53dd61fdbecf4" }, { "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/50f1b690b4868923fbd242298def2fb88662f108" }, { "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d5ad6ab61cbd89afdb60881f6274f74328af3ee9" } ], "title": "wifi: mac80211: always free skb on ieee80211_tx_prepare_skb() failure", "x_generator": { "engine": "bippy-1.2.0" } } } }