wifi: cfg80211: convert pmsr_free_wk to wiphy_work to fix deadlock
Key facts
- Attack vector
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- Privileges required
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- User interaction
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- Attack complexity
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- Impact type
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- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
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- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 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: cfg80211: convert pmsr_free_wk to wiphy_work to fix deadlock When a netlink socket that owns a PMSR session is closed, cfg80211_release_pmsr() clears the request's nl_portid and queues pmsr_free_wk to call cfg80211_pmsr_process_abort() asynchronously. If the interface tears down concurrently, cfg80211_pmsr_wdev_down() is called under wiphy_lock and calls cancel_work_sync(&pmsr_free_wk) to wait for any running work. The work function acquires wiphy_lock via guard(wiphy) before calling process_abort. This is a deadlock: wdev_down holds wiphy_lock and blocks inside cancel_work_sync(); pmsr_free_wk blocks trying to acquire that same wiphy_lock. Neither thread can proceed. The same deadlock is reachable from cfg80211_leave_locked(), which calls cfg80211_pmsr_wdev_down() for all interface types under wiphy_lock. Fix this by converting pmsr_free_wk from a plain work_struct to a wiphy_work. The wiphy_work dispatcher holds wiphy_lock when running work items, so the explicit guard(wiphy) in the work function is no longer needed. wiphy_work_cancel() can be called safely while holding wiphy_lock - since wiphy_lock prevents the work from running concurrently, wiphy_work_cancel() never blocks, eliminating the deadlock. Remove the cancel_work_sync() for pmsr_free_wk from the NETDEV_GOING_DOWN handler. cfg80211_leave(), called unconditionally just before it, already cancels any pending work under wiphy_lock via wiphy_work_cancel() inside cfg80211_pmsr_wdev_down().
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 6.1.167 to before 6.1.191; 6.6.130 to before 6.6.160; 6.12.78 to before 6.12.101; 6.18.20 to before 6.18.42; 6.19.10 to before 6.20 | 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.101, 6.18.42, 6.20 | Patch available | CNA |
| Linux | Linux | 7.0 and later | 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.101, 6.18.42, 7.1.6, 7.2 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 6.1.167 to before 6.1.191; 6.6.130 to before 6.6.160; 6.12.78 to before 6.12.101; 6.18.20 to before 6.18.42; 6.19.10 to before 6.20 Fixed in 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.101, 6.18.42, 6.20 Patch available CNA
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 7.0 and later Fixed in 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.101, 6.18.42, 7.1.6, 7.2 Patch available CNA
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.101, 6.18.42, 6.20
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.101, 6.18.42, 7.1.6, 7.2
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. 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 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Not affected: 3 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-68408
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-x755-7343-mr27
- 2026-10-21 Fix available: Linux/Linux@30c67926d41c456809857976cd3cd71b2290e0c1, Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-10-21 1 new reference · CNA
- 2026-10-29 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-30 Fix available: Linux/[email protected], Linux/Linux@efe47df4de5e3e19b0670c5f2f67bdc4c9dc02af · CNA
- 2026-10-30 1 new reference · CNA
References
Other 6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/efe47df4de5e3e19b0670c5f2f67bdc4c9dc02af
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/30c67926d41c456809857976cd3cd71b2290e0c1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/21512b5f7a74fd18c996c22e6854efe57d570816
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/133684982dd0c24359fcc641d19d89cc17d6e5ef
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0a77d9fb4d5c0e01306cd406ffdee8f1fe955c0e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2b0eab425e1f658d8fe1df7590e3b9af5959505e
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Sources
- CVE-2026-68408 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-68408 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-x755-7343-mr27 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-68408 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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