Linux kernel mac80211 accepts TDLS setup confirm for missing station
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: 6 without a fix
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
The Linux kernel mac80211 wireless stack from 3.17 accepts a TDLS setup confirm frame for a station that does not exist. Building that frame hits a kernel warning. The flaw is in how the kernel checks the peer station before sending the confirm.
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: require a peer station for TDLS setup confirm It's nonsense for the setup confirm to go to station that doesn't even exist, and it hits a warning when building the frame: WARN_ON_ONCE(!sta || !ap_sta) Only accept WLAN_TDLS_SETUP_CONFIRM when the station is already there as a TDLS station. Need to copy the call to ieee80211_tdls_prep_mgmt_packet() since the existing WLAN_TDLS_DISCOVERY_REQUEST already falls through to it.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
Remediation
Fixed versions are Linux kernel 6.1.189, 6.6.158, 6.12.112, 6.18.54, 7.2.8 and 7.3. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 has no fix planned, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, 9 and 10 and Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 and 5 have no fix available.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-07
- 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 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 |
Not affected: 1 product
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
Timeline
- 2026-10-14 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-98421
- 2026-10-14 Alias added: GHSA-6hcf-6997-pq7q
- 2026-10-16 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-16 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/6bae6ef511a29ef12ab969adeea691067d4d5d74
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d0afa5395c46d73ad2090aa50209886e84f179bd
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/742c762bee59c973684f70dfed7de4945d3141e2
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fce36d242a18ddf64731d816a37564103172da11
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1c0a5c96473b9e7a5f4c453ef6a13dc0f5589a4b
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/038e1d126304fd25d507fd4e671232df57bd1799
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Sources
- CVE-2026-98421 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-98421 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-6hcf-6997-pq7q · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-98421 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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