Out-of-bounds read in Linux kernel mac80211_hwsim TX info handler
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
- Fixed
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from CNA.
Summary
The Linux kernel mac80211_hwsim driver from 5.7 accepts a HWSIM_ATTR_TX_INFO netlink attribute that is shorter than the handler expects. The handler reads past the end of the payload, which is an out-of-bounds read. The fix sets the exact required length in the netlink policy, so malformed attributes are rejected before the handler runs.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
Description from the CNA
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: mac80211_hwsim: reject undersized HWSIM_ATTR_TX_INFO hwsim_tx_info_frame_received_nl() casts the HWSIM_ATTR_TX_INFO payload to a struct hwsim_tx_rate * and unconditionally reads IEEE80211_TX_MAX_RATES entries (8 bytes) from it. The policy only bounds the attribute from above (NLA_BINARY .len is a maximum) and the op sets GENL_DONT_VALIDATE_STRICT, so a short or zero-length attribute is accepted and the loop reads past the payload. Require the exact length in the policy, so a malformed attribute is rejected before the handler runs.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
Remediation
Update the Linux kernel to 5.10.271, 5.15.222, 6.1.189, 6.6.158, 6.12.111, 6.18.53 or 7.2, or to a later release in these branches.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.10.271, 5.15.222, 6.1.189, 6.6.158, 6.12.111, 6.18.53, 7.2
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
Not affected: 7 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5
Timeline
- 2026-10-23 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-98887
- 2026-10-23 Alias added: GHSA-vjmv-qr7m-gc5q
- 2026-10-26 Fix available: Linux/Linux@0 · CNA
- 2026-10-26 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-26 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-11-06 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
Other 7
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3a96bb65b4b820d8b41fa155781ec1c29e3479d4
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/59e1f2a0242232b4a3af144ae317d3913fc09046
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1ae85bb34fe3510659b86d6a5f8036dd498233f8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6f6368b20f8c9481fa7ba7b672dcb3c9f36b2695
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b5b1234bbfa25537fb9a5c0d62c328ed4547f721
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/13edd8ea7ff2ce6a964b290ef2034cd8cbed96c7
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3dc723ac78a6e4fa0fd49e27e487ed319da40a9f
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- 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
Sources
- CVE-2026-98887 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-98887 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-vjmv-qr7m-gc5q · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-98887 · 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