CVE-2026-98887 - Vulnerability Details

- wifi: mac80211_hwsim: reject undersized HWSIM_ATTR_TX_INFO

Description

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

wifi: mac80211_hwsim: reject undersized HWSIM_ATTR_TX_INFO

hwsim_tx_info_frame_received_nl() casts the HWSIM_ATTR_TX_INFO payload
to a struct hwsim_tx_rate * and unconditionally reads
IEEE80211_TX_MAX_RATES entries (8 bytes) from it. The policy only bounds
the attribute from above (NLA_BINARY .len is a maximum) and the op sets
GENL_DONT_VALIDATE_STRICT, so a short or zero-length attribute is
accepted and the loop reads past the payload.

Require the exact length in the policy, so a malformed attribute is
rejected before the handler runs.

Published: 2026-10-23

Score: 5.5 Medium

EPSS: < 1% Very Low

KEV: No

Impact:

Action:

Analysis

Impact

This vulnerability occurs in the Linux kernel's mac80211_hwsim module, where a malformed HWSIM_ATTR_TX_INFO attribute is accepted and unconditionally parsed as a struct hwsim_tx_rate. The code then reads up to IEEE80211_TX_MAX_RATES entries from the payload without verifying the payload length, which can result in reading beyond the allocated data. The outcome is a memory corruption that can lead to a kernel fault or crash, effectively causing a denial of service for the system handling the wireless simulation. The problem is a classic out‑of‑bounds read flaw as categorized by CWE‑125.

Affected Systems

The flaw is present in any Linux kernel that includes the mac80211_hwsim module and has not yet incorporated the patch that enforces a strict length check on the HWSIM_ATTR_TX_INFO attribute. This includes all distributions shipping kernel versions earlier than the commit that introduces the fix, regardless of vendor or distribution. Vendor lists for this issue are simply Linux:Linux for both the kernel source and build; no particular vendor product name is specified beyond the kernel itself.

Risk and Exploitability

No large‑scale exploitation has been observed. The EPSS score is 0.00213, indicating an extremely low probability of exploitation. Based on the description, an attacker could trigger the flaw by sending a crafted network packet that contains a malformed HWSIM_ATTR_TX_INFO attribute to a kernel instance that loads the hwsim module, potentially leading to an out‑of‑bounds read and a subsequent crash. The CVSS score of 5.5 indicates a medium severity level, but the low EPSS score suggests that exploitation is unlikely at present. The kernel is the core of the operating system, so a crash can severely impact availability.

Default status is the baseline for the product, each version can override it (e.g. patched versions marked unaffected).

Vendor Product Default status Versions

Linux

unaffected

Version	Status	Constraints
`5d44fe7c9808c56e136e59147bd932f5491520f1`	affected	< 3a96bb65b4b820d8b41fa155781ec1c29e3479d4
`5d44fe7c9808c56e136e59147bd932f5491520f1`	affected	< 59e1f2a0242232b4a3af144ae317d3913fc09046
`5d44fe7c9808c56e136e59147bd932f5491520f1`	affected	< 1ae85bb34fe3510659b86d6a5f8036dd498233f8
`5d44fe7c9808c56e136e59147bd932f5491520f1`	affected	< 6f6368b20f8c9481fa7ba7b672dcb3c9f36b2695
`5d44fe7c9808c56e136e59147bd932f5491520f1`	affected	< b5b1234bbfa25537fb9a5c0d62c328ed4547f721
`5d44fe7c9808c56e136e59147bd932f5491520f1`	affected	< 13edd8ea7ff2ce6a964b290ef2034cd8cbed96c7
`5d44fe7c9808c56e136e59147bd932f5491520f1`	affected	< 3dc723ac78a6e4fa0fd49e27e487ed319da40a9f

Linux

affected

Version	Status	Constraints
`5.7`	affected	—
`0`	unaffected	< 5.7
`5.10.271`	unaffected	≤ 5.10.*
`5.15.222`	unaffected	≤ 5.15.*
`6.1.189`	unaffected	≤ 6.1.*
`6.6.158`	unaffected	≤ 6.6.*
`6.12.111`	unaffected	≤ 6.12.*
`6.18.53`	unaffected	≤ 6.18.*
`7.2`	unaffected	≤ *

No data.

Vendor Product Confidence Versions

Linux

100%

Version	Status	Scheme	Platform
`[1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2,3a96bb65b4b820d8b41fa155781ec1c29e3479d4)`	affected	code_commit	—
`[1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2,59e1f2a0242232b4a3af144ae317d3913fc09046)`	affected	code_commit	—
`[1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2,1ae85bb34fe3510659b86d6a5f8036dd498233f8)`	affected	code_commit	—
`[1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2,6f6368b20f8c9481fa7ba7b672dcb3c9f36b2695)`	affected	code_commit	—
`[1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2,b5b1234bbfa25537fb9a5c0d62c328ed4547f721)`	affected	code_commit	—
`[1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2,13edd8ea7ff2ce6a964b290ef2034cd8cbed96c7)`	affected	code_commit	—
`[1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2,3dc723ac78a6e4fa0fd49e27e487ed319da40a9f)`	affected	code_commit	—
`[0,5.10.271)`	affected	semver	—
`[0,5.15.222)`	affected	semver	—
`[0,6.1.189)`	affected	semver	—
`[0,6.6.158)`	affected	semver	—
`[0,6.12.111)`	affected	semver	—
`[0,6.18.53)`	affected	semver	—

Linux

100%

Version	Status	Scheme	Platform
`[5.10.271,5.10.*]`	unaffected	generic	—
`[5.15.222,5.15.*]`	unaffected	generic	—
`[6.1.189,6.1.*]`	unaffected	generic	—
`[6.6.158,6.6.*]`	unaffected	generic	—
`[6.12.111,6.12.*]`	unaffected	generic	—
`[6.18.53,6.18.*]`	unaffected	generic	—
`[7.2,*]`	unaffected	generic	—

Linux

Linux Kernel

100%

Version	Status	Scheme	Platform
`[1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2,3a96bb65b4b820d8b41fa155781ec1c29e3479d4)`	affected	code_commit	—
`[1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2,59e1f2a0242232b4a3af144ae317d3913fc09046)`	affected	code_commit	—
`[1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2,1ae85bb34fe3510659b86d6a5f8036dd498233f8)`	affected	code_commit	—
`[1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2,6f6368b20f8c9481fa7ba7b672dcb3c9f36b2695)`	affected	code_commit	—
`[1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2,b5b1234bbfa25537fb9a5c0d62c328ed4547f721)`	affected	code_commit	—
`[1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2,13edd8ea7ff2ce6a964b290ef2034cd8cbed96c7)`	affected	code_commit	—
`[1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2,3dc723ac78a6e4fa0fd49e27e487ed319da40a9f)`	affected	code_commit	—
`[0,5.10.271)`	affected	semver	—
`[0,5.15.222)`	affected	semver	—
`[0,6.1.189)`	affected	semver	—
`[0,6.6.158)`	affected	semver	—
`[0,6.12.111)`	affected	semver	—
`[0,6.18.53)`	affected	semver	—

Linux

Linux Kernel

100%

Version	Status	Scheme	Platform
`[5.10.271,5.10.*]`	unaffected	generic	—
`[5.15.222,5.15.*]`	unaffected	generic	—
`[6.1.189,6.1.*]`	unaffected	generic	—
`[6.6.158,6.6.*]`	unaffected	generic	—
`[6.12.111,6.12.*]`	unaffected	generic	—
`[6.18.53,6.18.*]`	unaffected	generic	—
`[7.2,*]`	unaffected	generic	—

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Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

Update the Linux kernel to a version that includes the committed fix for the mac80211_hwsim HWSIM_ATTR_TX_INFO boundary check.
If an immediate kernel update is not feasible, disable or blacklist the hwsim module to prevent exposure to malformed packet processing.
Monitor kernel logs for unexpected crashes or out‑of‑bounds read indicators and apply the vendor patch as soon as it becomes available.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on October 27, 2026 at 09:26 UTC.

Tracking

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Advisories

Source	ID	Title
Ubuntu USN	USN-8961-1	Linux kernel vulnerabilities

No CVSS v4.0

Attack Vector Local

Attack Complexity Low

Privileges Required Low

Scope Unchanged

Confidentiality Impact None

Integrity Impact None

Availability Impact High

User Interaction None

No CVSS v3.0

No CVSS v2

This CVE is not in the KEV list.

The EPSS score is 0.00213.

Key SSVC decision points have not yet been added.

References

Link	Providers
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/security/vulns.git/plain/cve/published/2026/CVE-2026-98887.mbox
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/13edd8ea7ff2ce6a964b290ef2034cd8cbed96c7
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1ae85bb34fe3510659b86d6a5f8036dd498233f8
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3a96bb65b4b820d8b41fa155781ec1c29e3479d4
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3dc723ac78a6e4fa0fd49e27e487ed319da40a9f
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/59e1f2a0242232b4a3af144ae317d3913fc09046
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6f6368b20f8c9481fa7ba7b672dcb3c9f36b2695
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b5b1234bbfa25537fb9a5c0d62c328ed4547f721
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98887
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98887

History

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 04:30:00 +0000

Type	Values Removed	Values Added
References		https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/security/vulns.git/plain/cve/published/2026/CVE-2026-98887.mbox https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98887 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98887
Metrics	threat_severity `None`	cvssV3_1 `{'score': 5.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}` threat_severity `Moderate`

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Type	Values Removed	Values Added
Weaknesses		CWE-125

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 14:30:00 +0000

Type	Values Removed	Values Added
First Time appeared		Linux linux
Vendors & Products		Linux linux

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Type	Values Removed	Values Added
Description		In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: mac80211_hwsim: reject undersized HWSIM_ATTR_TX_INFO hwsim_tx_info_frame_received_nl() casts the HWSIM_ATTR_TX_INFO payload to a struct hwsim_tx_rate * and unconditionally reads IEEE80211_TX_MAX_RATES entries (8 bytes) from it. The policy only bounds the attribute from above (NLA_BINARY .len is a maximum) and the op sets GENL_DONT_VALIDATE_STRICT, so a short or zero-length attribute is accepted and the loop reads past the payload. Require the exact length in the policy, so a malformed attribute is rejected before the handler runs.
Title		wifi: mac80211_hwsim: reject undersized HWSIM_ATTR_TX_INFO
First Time appeared		Linux Linux linux Kernel
CPEs		cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel::::::::
Vendors & Products		Linux Linux linux Kernel
References		https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/13edd8ea7ff2ce6a964b290ef2034cd8cbed96c7 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1ae85bb34fe3510659b86d6a5f8036dd498233f8 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3a96bb65b4b820d8b41fa155781ec1c29e3479d4 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3dc723ac78a6e4fa0fd49e27e487ed319da40a9f https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/59e1f2a0242232b4a3af144ae317d3913fc09046 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6f6368b20f8c9481fa7ba7b672dcb3c9f36b2695 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b5b1234bbfa25537fb9a5c0d62c328ed4547f721

Subscriptions

Linux Linux Linux Kernel

MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: Linux

Published: 2026-10-23T11:37:44.605Z

Updated: 2026-10-26T06:56:11.864Z

Reserved: 2026-09-25T10:25:14.378Z

Link: CVE-2026-98887

Vulnrichment

No data.

NVD

Status : Received

Published: 2026-10-23T12:18:22.460

Modified: 2026-10-26T07:17:13.743

Link: CVE-2026-98887

Redhat

Severity : Moderate

Publid Date: 2026-10-23T00:00:00Z

Links: CVE-2026-98887 - Bugzilla

OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-10-27T09:30:19Z

Weaknesses

CWE-125
Out-of-bounds Read

Impact

Affected Systems

Risk and Exploitability

Tracking

Attack Vector Local

Attack Complexity Low

Privileges Required Low

Scope Unchanged

Confidentiality Impact None

Integrity Impact None

Availability Impact High

User Interaction None

Subscriptions

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