wifi: mac80211: refuse to make a monitor active when it has no queue
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: mac80211: refuse to make a monitor active when it has no queue A monitor interface only gets a TXQ if it's created active, and one can't be added later. Setting the flag on a down interface is still allowed, so the driver is handed a monitor with no queue. ath9k dereferences it: BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000066 RIP: 0010:ath_tx_node_init+0x49/0x170 [ath9k] ath9k_add_interface+0x10c/0x140 [ath9k] drv_add_interface+0x54/0x250 [mac80211] ieee80211_do_open+0x32f/0x800 [mac80211] Reached with CAP_NET_ADMIN by "iw dev X set monitor active" followed by "ip link set X up". RTNL is held, so netlink operations block behind it. Refuse the flag when there is no queue to give.
CVE-2026-98182
Primary source · Revision 1
Imported from structured advisory data. Source references identify upstream records or fields; verify affected versions and your deployed configuration.
Security context
Source reference: cve:CVE-2026-98182
Linux
Source reference: /containers/cna/affected/0/product
- Affected versions
- Not stated in this record
- Fixed versions
- Not stated in this record
- Prerequisites
- Not stated in this record
Linux
Source reference: /containers/cna/affected/1/product
- Affected versions
- Not stated in this record
- Fixed versions
- Not stated in this record
- Prerequisites
- Not stated in this record
Structured affected-version data
Original package identities and version rules from this source.
[
{
"repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
"vendor": "Linux",
"product": "Linux",
"versions": [
{
"status": "affected",
"version": "79af1f866193de29e65a4dba7d0dab14b0c0ff93",
"lessThan": "b7b7d46ec4fa127767931938b282c361c0519af6",
"versionType": "git"
},
{
"status": "affected",
"version": "79af1f866193de29e65a4dba7d0dab14b0c0ff93",
"lessThan": "abe15e643e576459469867758ae9c586a7bab95d",
"versionType": "git"
},
{
"status": "affected",
"version": "79af1f866193de29e65a4dba7d0dab14b0c0ff93",
"lessThan": "46c223468537a05a404699771cd3e68532dab5e6",
"versionType": "git"
},
{
"status": "affected",
"version": "79af1f866193de29e65a4dba7d0dab14b0c0ff93",
"lessThan": "2b04d6556964ae9f89819b86a0a7801e39c3aae5",
"versionType": "git"
}
],
"programFiles": [
"net/mac80211/cfg.c"
],
"defaultStatus": "unaffected"
},
{
"repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
"vendor": "Linux",
"product": "Linux",
"versions": [
{
"status": "affected",
"version": "4.15"
},
{
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "0",
"lessThan": "4.15",
"versionType": "semver"
},
{
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "6.12.112",
"versionType": "semver",
"lessThanOrEqual": "6.12.*"
},
{
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "6.18.54",
"versionType": "semver",
"lessThanOrEqual": "6.18.*"
},
{
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "7.2.8",
"versionType": "semver",
"lessThanOrEqual": "7.2.*"
},
{
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "7.3",
"versionType": "original_commit_for_fix",
"lessThanOrEqual": "*"
}
],
"programFiles": [
"net/mac80211/cfg.c"
],
"defaultStatus": "affected"
}
]- Related CVEs
- CVE-2026-98182
Source reference:
/cveMetadata/cveId
Publisher severity
No explicit severity was provided.
- Event
- #38265 · Revision 1
- Added to Heist Feed
- Publisher date