# CVE-2026-74488: wifi: mwifiex: use the subframe length when parsing A-MSDU TDLS frames

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel mwifiex driver allows remote attackers to cause memory corruption or denial of service via crafted A-MSDU TDLS frames.

- **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:** 15 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 16 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-96240, BELL-CVE-2026-74488, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-74488, GHSA-c488-ccg3-wfcm, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-74488

## What is CVE-2026-74488?

CVE-2026-74488 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 15 Aug 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: use the subframe length when parsing A-MSDU TDLS frames

mwifiex_11n_dispatch_amsdu_pkt() splits an A-MSDU with
ieee80211_amsdu_to_8023s() and walks the resulting subframes. For each
subframe it passes the subframe data pointer to
mwifiex_process_tdls_action_frame(), but pairs it with skb->len, the
length of the A-MSDU parent, instead of rx_skb->len:

	rx_skb = __skb_dequeue(&list);
	rx_hdr = (struct rx_packet_hdr *)rx_skb->data;
	if (ISSUPP_TDLS_ENABLED(priv->adapter->fw_cap_info) &&
	    ntohs(rx_hdr->eth803_hdr.h_proto) == ETH_P_TDLS) {
		mwifiex_process_tdls_action_frame(priv, (u8 *)rx_hdr,
						  skb->len);
	}

The parent is not a valid description of that buffer, and may not be
valid memory at all. ieee80211_amsdu_to_8023s() ends with

	if (!reuse_skb)
		dev_kfree_skb(skb);

and it only sets reuse_skb when the parent is linear, is not a
head_frag, and is being consumed as the *last* subframe. So when the
parent does not qualify for reuse it has already been freed, and the
read of skb->len is a use-after-free. When it is reused, skb->len is
the length of the last subframe, applied to every earlier subframe,
which over-states the buffer whenever an earlier subframe is shorter.

The callee cannot absorb a wrong length, because it derives its own
ceiling from the value it is given. Each frame type computes

	ies_len = len - sizeof(struct ethhdr) - TDLS_*_FIX_LEN;

and the element walk is then bounded entirely against that ceiling,

	for (end = pos + ies_len; pos + 1 < end; pos += 2 + pos[1]) {
		u8 ie_len = pos[1];

		if (pos + 2 + ie_len > end)
			break;

so a too-large len moves end past the end of the subframe and the walk
reads and copies beyond it. The A-MSDU layout is chosen by the sender,
which makes the difference between the last subframe and a shorter
earlier one remotely selectable. Reaching this requires TDLS support in
firmware and the TDLS ethertype on the subframe.

The other caller, mwifiex_process_rx_packet(), is correct: it passes a
pointer and a length that describe the same region of the RX buffer.

Pass rx_skb->len, the length of the subframe actually being parsed.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-74488?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-74488?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-74488 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-74488 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-74488 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-74488 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 15 Aug 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-2026-74488 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux. 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-2026-74488/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-74488/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-74488
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-74488
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-74488

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-74488/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.