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CVE-2026-98184

Linux: wifi: mwifiex: prevent authentication frame length truncation

Linux LinuxOperating systems
CVSS
NoneNot scored
ExploitationNo known exploitationNot in CISA KEV, which does not prove it is unexploitedCISA KEV
Exploit odds (EPSS)0.22%Chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 12% of CVEs. Scored 23 Oct 2026FIRST EPSS
Fixed in25c45a2075cc00faed45f92a64bb172fb074a2eeAlso 5747eaa38a7fcad48be2fd910b65008198b2b06c, 877b61a67d5eb3e616478daf3908114b57feff1eCVE List
Published6 Oct 2026Updated 19 Oct 2026CVE List

What fixes it

  • 25c45a2075cc00faed45f92a64bb172fb074a2eeLinuxCVE List
  • 5747eaa38a7fcad48be2fd910b65008198b2b06cLinuxCVE List
  • 877b61a67d5eb3e616478daf3908114b57feff1eLinuxCVE List

A fixed version on one release line is not the upgrade target for every line. Check your exact version and any vendor backports.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

wifi: mwifiex: prevent authentication frame length truncation

mwifiex_cfg80211_authenticate() derives the authentication frame length from req->ie_len and req->auth_data_len, both of type size_t, but stores it in a u16.

NL80211_ATTR_AUTH_DATA only has a minimum length policy. Since nla_len is a u16, a single attribute can carry up to 65531 bytes of payload, so the sum can exceed U16_MAX before it is assigned to pkt_len. The truncated pkt_len determines the skb frame area, while the copy length remains req->auth_data_len - 4, resulting in a heap buffer overflow.

For example, with auth_data_len equal to 65510 and no IEs, the sum is

  1. It is truncated to 10 and then reduced by four to 6. The driver

appends only six bytes to the skb with skb_put(), but then copies 65506 user-provided bytes into the authentication body.

Reaching this path requires CAP_NET_ADMIN in the user namespace owning the network namespace, an up station netdev, and a suitable BSS/SAE authentication request.

Compute the length in size_t, reject values that cannot be represented by the firmware's u16 frame length field, and only then assign it to pkt_len.

Text from CVE List

Affected versions 10

  • Linuxaffected: 36995892c271cce5e2230bc165a06f109b117222 before 25c45a2075cc00faed45f92a64bb172fb074a2eeCVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 36995892c271cce5e2230bc165a06f109b117222 before 5747eaa38a7fcad48be2fd910b65008198b2b06cCVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 36995892c271cce5e2230bc165a06f109b117222 before 877b61a67d5eb3e616478daf3908114b57feff1eCVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 36995892c271cce5e2230bc165a06f109b117222 before fa00193eb991f92b007aefe7afb6a7566976dacfCVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 6.12CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: all versions before 6.12CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 6.12.112 through 6.12.*CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 6.18.54 through 6.18.*CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 7.2.8 through 7.2.*CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 7.3CVE List

References 4