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TI-2026-48142 Aliases CVE-2026-68363GHSA-x3fw-jwr8-ppm9

wifi: ath9k: hif_usb: don't dereference hif_dev after re-arming firmware request

Priority LOW 22Published · Updated

Key facts

Attack vector
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Privileges required
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User interaction
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Attack complexity
—
Impact type
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Confidentiality · integrity · availability
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Fix status
Partial Red Hat: 14 fixed, 3 without a fix

No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.

Summary

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: ath9k: hif_usb: don't dereference hif_dev after re-arming firmware request ath9k_hif_request_firmware() re-arms an asynchronous firmware load via request_firmware_nowait(), passing hif_dev as the completion context, and then still dereferences hif_dev: dev_info(&hif_dev->udev->dev, "ath9k_htc: Firmware %s requested\n", hif_dev->fw_name); The re-armed callback ath9k_hif_usb_firmware_cb() runs on the "events" workqueue and, when the firmware is missing, walks the retry chain into ath9k_hif_usb_firmware_fail() -> complete_all(&hif_dev->fw_done). That releases the wait_for_completion(&hif_dev->fw_done) in a concurrent ath9k_hif_usb_disconnect(), which then kfree()s hif_dev. The trailing dev_info() in the frame that re-armed the request can therefore read freed memory (hif_dev->udev, the first field of struct hif_device_usb): BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in ath9k_hif_request_firmware Read of size 8 ... by task kworker/... ath9k_hif_request_firmware ath9k_hif_usb_firmware_cb drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/hif_usb.c:1247 request_firmware_work_func Allocated by ...: ath9k_hif_usb_probe drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/hif_usb.c Freed by ...: ath9k_hif_usb_disconnect -> kfree drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/hif_usb.c The fw_done barrier only makes disconnect wait for the firmware chain to *terminate*; it does not protect the outer ath9k_hif_request_firmware() frame that re-armed the request and keeps touching hif_dev afterwards. Drop the post-request dev_info(): it is the only use of hif_dev after the async request is armed, and it is purely informational (the dev_err() on the failure path runs only when request_firmware_nowait() did not arm a callback, so hif_dev is still alive there). This was first reported by syzbot as a single, non-reproduced crash that was later auto-obsoleted, and was independently rediscovered by the reFuzz fuzzer, which produced a C reproducer (USB-gadget connect/disconnect of an ath9k_htc device whose firmware download fails). The vulnerable code is unchanged and still present in v7.1-rc6, where the slab-use-after-free reproduces under KASAN once the (sub-microsecond) race window is widened.

Why it matters now

Exploitation None reported CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV
EPSS 0.00184 8th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix Partial Linux (Linux): 5.10.265, 5.15.216, 6.1.183 +5Red Hat: 4 advisoriesRed Hat: 14 fixed, 3 without a fix

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

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed inStatusSource
LinuxLinux4.4 and later5.10.265, 5.15.216, 6.1.183, 6.6.148, 6.12.101, 6.18.42, 7.1.6, 7.2Patch availableCNA
  • Linux VendorLinux Affected 4.4 and later Fixed in 5.10.265, 5.15.216, 6.1.183, 6.6.148, 6.12.101, 6.18.42, 7.1.6, 7.2 Patch available CNA

CPE names Threatist (inferred) · 1

Inferred from how NVD named this product before; not given by a source.

CPEVersionsRoleVendor
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*——Linux
  • cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions — — ·Linux

Remediation

  • Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.10.265, 5.15.216, 6.1.183, 6.6.148, 6.12.101, 6.18.42, 7.1.6, 7.2

Red Hat 4 advisories

  • RHSA-2026:68570 Released 2026-09-17 · Red Hat rating Important
    kernel security, bug fix, and enhancement update
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) kernel-64k-debug-devel-5.14.0-687.49.1.el9_8, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-5.14.0-687.49.1.el9_8, kernel-64k-devel-5.14.0-687.49.1.el9_8 +12
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) kernel-5.14.0-687.49.1.el9_8, kernel-64k-5.14.0-687.49.1.el9_8, kernel-64k-core-5.14.0-687.49.1.el9_8 +28
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 9) kernel-tools-libs-devel-5.14.0-687.49.1.el9_8, libperf-5.14.0-687.49.1.el9_8
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time (v. 9) kernel-rt-5.14.0-687.49.1.el9_8, kernel-rt-64k-5.14.0-687.49.1.el9_8, kernel-rt-64k-core-5.14.0-687.49.1.el9_8 +21
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV (v. 9) kernel-rt-5.14.0-687.49.1.el9_8, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-687.49.1.el9_8, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-687.49.1.el9_8 +9
  • RHSA-2026:68507 Released 2026-09-17 · Red Hat rating Important
    kernel security, bug fix, and enhancement update
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 10) kernel-64k-debug-devel-6.12.0-211.56.1.el10_2, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-6.12.0-211.56.1.el10_2, kernel-64k-devel-6.12.0-211.56.1.el10_2 +12
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 10) kernel-6.12.0-211.56.1.el10_2, kernel-64k-6.12.0-211.56.1.el10_2, kernel-64k-core-6.12.0-211.56.1.el10_2 +29
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 10) kernel-tools-libs-devel-6.12.0-211.56.1.el10_2, libperf-6.12.0-211.56.1.el10_2
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time (v. 10) kernel-rt-6.12.0-211.56.1.el10_2, kernel-rt-64k-6.12.0-211.56.1.el10_2, kernel-rt-64k-core-6.12.0-211.56.1.el10_2 +21
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV (v. 10) kernel-rt-6.12.0-211.56.1.el10_2, kernel-rt-core-6.12.0-211.56.1.el10_2, kernel-rt-debug-6.12.0-211.56.1.el10_2 +9
  • RHSA-2026:67468 Released 2026-09-15 · Red Hat rating Important
    kernel security update
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 8) bpftool-4.18.0-553.163.1.el8_10, kernel-4.18.0-553.163.1.el8_10, kernel-abi-stablelists-4.18.0-553.163.1.el8_10 +19
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux CRB (v. 8) kernel-tools-libs-devel-4.18.0-553.163.1.el8_10
Show 1 more Red Hat advisories
  • RHSA-2026:67469 Released 2026-09-15 · Red Hat rating Important
    kernel-rt security update
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux NFV (v. 8) kernel-rt-4.18.0-553.163.1.rt7.504.el8_10, kernel-rt-core-4.18.0-553.163.1.rt7.504.el8_10, kernel-rt-debug-4.18.0-553.163.1.rt7.504.el8_10 +9
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux RT (v. 8) kernel-rt-4.18.0-553.163.1.rt7.504.el8_10, kernel-rt-core-4.18.0-553.163.1.rt7.504.el8_10, kernel-rt-debug-4.18.0-553.163.1.rt7.504.el8_10 +7

Vendor assessments

Red Hat

Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →

ProductStatusPlan or fix
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9AffectedNo fix yet
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4AffectedNo fix planned: Will not fix
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5AffectedNo fix planned: Will not fix
Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 10)Fixed RHSA-2026:68507
Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9)Fixed RHSA-2026:68570
Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 10)Fixed RHSA-2026:68507
Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 8)Fixed RHSA-2026:67468
Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9)Fixed RHSA-2026:68570
Red Hat Enterprise Linux CRB (v. 8)Fixed RHSA-2026:67468
Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 10)Fixed RHSA-2026:68507
Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 9)Fixed RHSA-2026:68570
Red Hat Enterprise Linux NFV (v. 8)Fixed RHSA-2026:67469
Red Hat Enterprise Linux RT (v. 8)Fixed RHSA-2026:67469
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time (v. 10)Fixed RHSA-2026:68507
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time (v. 9)Fixed RHSA-2026:68570
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV (v. 10)Fixed RHSA-2026:68507
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV (v. 9)Fixed RHSA-2026:68570
Not affected: 2 products
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7

Timeline

  1. 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-68363
  2. 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-x3fw-jwr8-ppm9
  3. 2026-10-30 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
  4. 2026-11-06 CISA SSVC decision points changed

References

  • 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-2021-02452 Incorrect authorization in Ubuntu linux kernel 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
See all 21727 →

Sources