CVE-2026-97492 wifi: mac80211: don't call ieee80211_handle_reconfig_failure when not needed
A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel Wi-Fi subsystem allows attackers to cause denial of service or execute code via crafted NAN reconfiguration failures.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-97492?
CVE-2026-97492 is an use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 24 Sep 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: don't call ieee80211_handle_reconfig_failure when not needed
In case reconfiguration of NAN fails, we call ieee80211_handle_reconfig_failure, that marks all interfaces as not in the driver. Then, at the error path of the reconfig, cfg80211_shutdown_all_interfaces is called to destroy all the interfaces.
If we have any other interface but the NAN one, for example a BSS station, then when its state (links, stations) will be removed, we won't tell the driver about this, because we will think that the interfaces are not in the driver, and then drivers might remain with dangling pointers to objects like stations and links (at least for iwlwifi this is the case).
ieee80211_handle_reconfig_failure is meant to be called after we cleaned up the state in the driver, there is no reason to call it for NAN reconfiguration failure.
Fix the code to just warn in such a case, as we do in other error paths in reconfig where it is too complicated to rewind.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-97492?
How do I fix CVE-2026-97492?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade to the fixed version. These bugs are found with fuzzing and sanitisers and avoided by memory-safe languages. More about Use after free.
Is CVE-2026-97492 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-97492 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as AZL-103718, BELL-CVE-2026-97492, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-97492, GHSA-v58j-jjc6-xcvv, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-97492.