# CVE-2026-46069: wifi: mwifiex: fix use-after-free in mwifiex_adapter_cleanup()

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's mwifiex Wi-Fi driver allows attackers to cause denial of service or execute code via race conditions during adapter cleanup.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 27 May 2026
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-88460, BELL-CVE-2026-46069, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-46069, GHSA-q36x-5cv4-59hh, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2026-46069, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2026-46069, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-46069, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2026-46069, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-46069

## What is CVE-2026-46069?

CVE-2026-46069 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 27 May 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: mwifiex: fix use-after-free in mwifiex_adapter_cleanup()

The mwifiex_adapter_cleanup() function uses timer_delete()
(non-synchronous) for the wakeup_timer before the adapter structure is
freed. This is incorrect because timer_delete() does not wait for any
running timer callback to complete.

If the wakeup_timer callback (wakeup_timer_fn) is executing when
mwifiex_adapter_cleanup() is called, the callback will continue to
access adapter fields (adapter->hw_status, adapter->if_ops.card_reset,
etc.) which may be freed by mwifiex_free_adapter() called later in the
mwifiex_remove_card() path.

Use timer_delete_sync() instead to ensure any running timer callback has
completed before returning.

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-46069?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-46069?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-46069 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-46069 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-46069 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-46069 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 27 May 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-46069 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-46069/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-46069/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-46069
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-46069
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-46069

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-46069/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.