The vulnerability arises when a network namespace that contains a device with an alternate name is removed while another namespace hosts a device using the same alternate name. During the namespace teardown, the kernel fails to clean up the conflicting alternate names, which can trigger a warning in cfg80211_pernet_exit and may lead to a crash or loss of network functionality. This flaw is classified as CWE-617.

All Linux kernel builds that lack the patch removing conflicting altnames during the teardown of a network namespace. The flaw is present in every kernel version prior to the inclusion of commit 7663d522099e and its subsequent refinements to d09486a04f5d. The issue impacts the cfg80211 and cfg802154 components that are part of the core networking stack in all Linux distributions.

The CVSS score of 7.8 indicates a high risk, and the EPSS score of <1% suggests that exploitation is unlikely in the wild. It is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog. An attacker with the ability to create and delete network namespaces—typically requiring root or kernel manipulation—could trigger the flaw to induce a kernel panic or Denial of Service. The primary attack vector is the local privilege escalation or privileged network configuration changes.