# CVE-2026-98341: wifi: cfg80211: don't free driver-owned scan requests

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel WiFi subsystem allows attackers to cause denial of service or execute code when an interface goes down during a scan.

- **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:** 6 Oct 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-106230, BELL-CVE-2026-98341, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98341, GHSA-cxwv-25fr-82vv, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98341

## What is CVE-2026-98341?

CVE-2026-98341 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 6 Oct 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: cfg80211: don't free driver-owned scan requests

When an interface goes down while a scan is running, cfg80211 completes
the scan towards userspace and frees the scan request. However, the
driver can be convinced that it owns the request, since the cancellation
is (intended to be) asynchronous.

The WARN_ON() in the netdev notifier was meant to catch this, but it's
not actually avoidable, so it triggers and we get a UAF in scan_done().

There doesn't seem to be a great way around it, so just track that the
driver is still convinced it owns the request, and then just free it on
completion if it was already cancelled. Also remove the warnings since
they can trigger in the intended architecture.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98341?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-98341?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-98341 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98341 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-98341 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-98341 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 6 Oct 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-2026-98341 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-2026-98341/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98341/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98341
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98341
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-98341

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98341/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.