CVE-2026-23279 wifi: mac80211: fix NULL pointer dereference in mesh_rx_csa_frame()

What is CVE-2026-23279?

CVE-2026-23279 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Mar 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

wifi: mac80211: fix NULL pointer dereference in mesh_rx_csa_frame()

In mesh_rx_csa_frame(), elems->mesh_chansw_params_ie is dereferenced at lines 1638 and 1642 without a prior NULL check:

ifmsh->chsw_ttl = elems->mesh_chansw_params_ie->mesh_ttl; ... pre_value = le16_to_cpu(elems->mesh_chansw_params_ie->mesh_pre_value);

The mesh_matches_local() check above only validates the Mesh ID, Mesh Configuration, and Supported Rates IEs. It does not verify the presence of the Mesh Channel Switch Parameters IE (element ID 118). When a received CSA action frame omits that IE, ieee802_11_parse_elems() leaves elems->mesh_chansw_params_ie as NULL, and the unconditional dereference causes a kernel NULL pointer dereference.

A remote mesh peer with an established peer link (PLINK_ESTAB) can trigger this by sending a crafted SPECTRUM_MGMT/CHL_SWITCH action frame that includes a matching Mesh ID and Mesh Configuration IE but omits the Mesh Channel Switch Parameters IE. No authentication beyond the default open mesh peering is required.

Crash confirmed on kernel 6.17.0-5-generic via mac80211_hwsim:

BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000 Oops: Oops: 0000 [#1] SMP NOPTI RIP: 0010:ieee80211_mesh_rx_queued_mgmt+0x143/0x2a0 [mac80211] CR2: 0000000000000000

Fix by adding a NULL check for mesh_chansw_params_ie after mesh_matches_local() returns, consistent with how other optional IEs are guarded throughout the mesh code.

The bug has been present since v3.13 (released 2014-01-19).

Weakness: CWE-476

Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-23279?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Linux kernel.

How do I fix CVE-2026-23279?

Apply the vendor's patch.

Is CVE-2026-23279 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-23279 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

• CVE-2026-53266 Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write Exploited High 8.8
• CVE-2013-6282 Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation Exploited High 8.8
• CVE-2022-0185 Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow Exploited High 8.4
• CVE-2013-2094 Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation Exploited High 8.4
• CVE-2026-53362 Linux Kernel Unspecified Exploited High 7.8

All Linux kernel vulnerabilities

Sources

• CVE record
• NVD
• OSV
• GitHub advisory
• How this page is made

Also known as AZL-80744, BELL-CVE-2026-23279, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-23279, GHSA-3969-jvq7-cjf4, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2026-23279, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2026-23279 and 4 more.