The Linux kernel’s mac80211 subsystem forwarded an injected frame’s requested bandwidth to the driver without verifying it against the channel’s actual configured width. This improper input validation flaw, identified as CWE‑617, results in the kernel dropping the frame instead of transmitting it. The CVE description does not explicitly claim a denial of service, but it is inferred that repeated delivery of such malformed frames could overwhelm the wireless stack or degrade performance, potentially leading to a local denial of service for wireless traffic.

All Linux kernel releases containing the vulnerable mac80211 frame injection handling code before the security patch are affected. Kernels prior to the commit introducing a width check (e.g., commit 73f48f7e16cadfc74f444ccd10c1d3ae253e2e27) lack the fix, whereas distributions shipping patched kernels are unaffected.

The CVSS score of 5.5 indicates moderate severity, and the EPSS score of less than 1% with no listing in the CISA KEV catalog suggest limited public exploitation. Based on the description, the likely attack vector requires an attacker to inject frames via a monitor‑mode interface, which normally demands local privilege or direct physical access to the wireless hardware. Therefore, the risk is moderate for systems that expose monitor mode or allow local users to enable it, whereas remote exploitation is unlikely unless the device is otherwise compromised.