Memory leak in Linux kernel iwlegacy 3945 driver on PCI remove
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
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
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- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 1 without a fix
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
The Linux kernel from 2.6.27 has a memory leak in the iwlegacy 3945 wireless driver. The PCI remove path does not free the EEPROM data that a successful probe allocated, so that memory leaks when the device is removed. The flaw was found by manual code inspection.
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: iwlegacy: 3945: free EEPROM data on remove il3945_pci_probe() calls il_eeprom_init(), which allocates memory for the EEPROM data. The probe failure paths release this allocation with il_eeprom_free(), but the remove path does not free it after a successful probe. As a result, the EEPROM data is leaked when the PCI device is removed. Free the EEPROM data in il3945_pci_remove() before releasing the mac80211 hardware structure. This issue was found by manual code inspection.
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 | 2.6.27 and later | 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.113, 6.18.56, 7.2.10, 7.3 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 2.6.27 and later Fixed in 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.113, 6.18.56, 7.2.10, 7.3 Patch available CNA
Remediation
Update the Linux kernel to 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.113, 6.18.56, 7.2.10 or 7.3, depending on the branch in use. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 is affected, and Red Hat's plan for it is none available.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-07
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.113, 6.18.56, 7.2.10, 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 7 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Not affected: 6 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5
Timeline
- 2026-10-18 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-98710
- 2026-10-18 Alias added: GHSA-8m9r-p559-452q
- 2026-10-19 Fix available: Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-10-21 Fix available: Linux/Linux@3ebc529726c0c038f49e513a7a6f1893552ee803, Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-10-21 1 new reference · CNA
- 2026-10-23 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-23 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-10-30 Fix available: Linux/Linux@39a3af97a23f6778887528c1fb4ffc60017ed0e6, Linux/[email protected], Linux/[email protected] +3 · CNA
- 2026-10-30 3 new references · CNA
- 2026-11-07 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
Other 8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/52990dd317f76c1baa3665e3b1513cf3d4b48f5e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a17d3fbca1731ae84c03a3dea0970f62f19757fb
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/39a3af97a23f6778887528c1fb4ffc60017ed0e6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3ebc529726c0c038f49e513a7a6f1893552ee803
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ab7bee2cd55f665cb29fa0ace2ec14020e0a452e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cd8f8f45d81aac384311701d7ffe26567af2e783
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/89f9d6186dc7429f38132635526e28549c913c0b
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f8ebe286394c0bbb4a6dbacb182a34ab6376922d
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- 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
Sources
- CVE-2026-98710 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-98710 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-8m9r-p559-452q · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-98710 · 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