Linux kernel mac80211 mishandles failed Wi-Fi transmit buffers
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: 7 without a fix
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
The Linux kernel mac80211 Wi-Fi stack initializes the TX info too late, so a failed transmit buffer is not reported to userspace and the failure paths stay messy. Affected are Linux kernel versions from 3.6.3 before 3.7 and from 3.7 onward.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-07
Description from the CNA
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: mac80211: set up the TX info early to fix failure paths The previous commit 2c51457d930f ("wifi: mac80211: free ack status frame on TX header build failure") cleaned up the leak, but still left the code a bit messy and the failed SKB didn't get reported to userspace. Fix this up by initialising skb->cb[] earlier, which allows using ieee80211_free_txskb() and therefore reports it for the failure in ieee80211_build_hdr(), and unifies the ieee80211_skb_resize() failure path with it.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
Remediation
Linux kernel users should update to 3.7, 6.1.189, 6.6.158, 6.12.112, 6.18.54, 7.2.8 or 7.3, depending on the release branch in use. Red Hat lists Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 with no fix planned, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, 8, 9, 10, OpenShift Container Platform 4 and OpenShift Container Platform 5 with no fix available.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-07
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 3.7
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.1.189, 6.6.158, 6.12.112, 6.18.54, 7.2.8, 7.3
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 7 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Timeline
- 2026-10-06 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-98325
- 2026-10-06 Alias added: GHSA-3437-mcr8-jcvh
- 2026-10-10 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-10 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-10-19 Fix available: Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-11-07 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
Other 6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/df711e9fa20d7e996711c7f43a11a71805bef78d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/420fcc2fdeae6ecd682d2b1605a0a54c88aed4aa
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/36e6f0a5e6d7238f4023e77f423c1c1414374309
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0fb37d2b6cb829cebdaea80f39011469f474bdcc
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/03d67414bd05b86029afc14535238a9393eac1c6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/50d3d79dc0743b616afb00d01a626c76758721f7
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Sources
- CVE-2026-98325 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-98325 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-3437-mcr8-jcvh · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-98325 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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