wifi: rtw88: fix device leak on probe failure
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 2 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-401.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: rtw88: fix device leak on probe failure Driver core holds a reference to the USB interface and its parent USB device while the interface is bound to a driver and there is no need to take additional references unless the structures are needed after disconnect. This driver takes a reference to the USB device during probe but does not to release it on all probe errors (e.g. when descriptor parsing fails). Drop the redundant device reference to fix the leak, reduce cargo culting, make it easier to spot drivers where an extra reference is needed, and reduce the risk of further memory leaks.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 6.2 and later | 6.6.136, 6.12.83, 6.18.24, 6.19.14, 7.0.1, 7.1 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 6.2 and later Fixed in 6.6.136, 6.12.83, 6.18.24, 6.19.14, 7.0.1, 7.1 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 1
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.2 to before 6.6.136; 6.7 to before 6.12.83; 6.13 to before 6.18.24; 6.19 to before 6.19.14; 7.0 to before 7.0.1 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.2 to before 6.6.136; 6.7 to before 6.12.83; 6.13 to before 6.18.24; 6.19 to before 6.19.14; 7.0 to before 7.0.1 Vulnerable ·Linux
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.6.136, 6.12.83, 6.18.24, 6.19.14, 7.0.1, 7.1
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Not affected: 3 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-31604
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-jcj3-vp6r-4j69
- 2026-11-06 CISA SSVC decision points changed
References
Patch 6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f632987306bce9242cdfcf911ee0b2c9455e05a3
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a4f4371d194dfa5473cc961f86194084b1b13a69
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/89a9c1bc7d797120bcc290864e0cb10a440a677f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/af7307e96dad00bcc2675dac650d8558a52f2c6f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/25a827b7e1d5747a255bdc757f1d3e9e1e8a4e2a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bbb15e71156cd9f5e1869eee7207a06ea8e96c39
More Linux Kernel vulnerabilities
- TI-2025-26358 tls: fix handling of zero-length records on the rx_list KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2026-38352 netfilter: bridge: make ebt_snat ARP rewrite writable KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2013-05264 The (1) get_user and (2) put_user API functions in the Linux kernel before 3.5.5 on the… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2022-00125 Integer overflow in kernel KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2013-01864 The perf_swevent_init function in kernel/events/core.c in the Linux kernel before 3.8.9… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2021-05514 Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACE KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.3
Sources
- CVE-2026-31604 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-31604 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-jcj3-vp6r-4j69 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-31604 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences