# CVE-2026-46125: wifi: mac80211: remove station if connection prep fails

> A use-after-free in the Linux kernel Wi-Fi subsystem allows attackers to cause a denial of service or potentially execute code if debugfs is enabled.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 28 May 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-89111, BELL-CVE-2026-46125, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-46125, GHSA-xrmp-x8vm-qcmh, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2026-46125, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2026-46125, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-46125

## What is CVE-2026-46125?

CVE-2026-46125 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 28 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: mac80211: remove station if connection prep fails

If connection preparation fails for MLO connections, then the
interface is completely reset to non-MLD. In this case, we must
not keep the station since it's related to the link of the vif
being removed. Delete an existing station. Any "new_sta" is
already being removed, so that doesn't need changes.

This fixes a use-after-free/double-free in debugfs if that's
enabled, because a vif going from MLD (and to MLD, but that's
not relevant here) recreates its entire debugfs.

Weakness: CWE-825 (Expired Pointer Dereference), CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-46125?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-46125?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-46125 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-46125 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-2026-46125 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-46125 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 28 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-2026-46125 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-2026-46125/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-46125/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-46125
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-46125
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-46125

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-46125/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.