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Linux Kernel CVE-2026-74488

| EUVDEUVD-2026-59681 HIGH
2026-08-15 Linux GHSA-c488-ccg3-wfcm
8.8
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: Linux
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Severity by source

Vendor (Linux) PRIMARY
8.8 HIGH
AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI
8.8 HIGH

Adjacent WiFi vector; no privileges needed from any wireless peer; kernel UAF and OOB read support full C/I/A impact.

3.1 AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:A/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
SUSE
6.5 HIGH
AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Red Hat
7.0 HIGH
qualitative

Primary rating from Vendor (Linux).

CVSS VectorVendor: Linux

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack Vector
Adjacent
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

5
Analysis Generated
Aug 17, 2026 - 11:47 vuln.today
CVSS changed
Aug 17, 2026 - 06:22 NVD
8.8 (HIGH)
Patch available
Aug 15, 2026 - 13:04 EUVD
CVE Published
Aug 15, 2026 - 12:27 cve.org
UNKNOWN (no severity yet)
CVE Published
Aug 15, 2026 - 12:27 cve.org
HIGH 8.8

DescriptionCVE.org

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

wifi: mwifiex: use the subframe length when parsing A-MSDU TDLS frames

mwifiex_11n_dispatch_amsdu_pkt() splits an A-MSDU with ieee80211_amsdu_to_8023s() and walks the resulting subframes. For each subframe it passes the subframe data pointer to mwifiex_process_tdls_action_frame(), but pairs it with skb->len, the length of the A-MSDU parent, instead of rx_skb->len:

rx_skb = __skb_dequeue(&list); rx_hdr = (struct rx_packet_hdr *)rx_skb->data; if (ISSUPP_TDLS_ENABLED(priv->adapter->fw_cap_info) && ntohs(rx_hdr->eth803_hdr.h_proto) == ETH_P_TDLS) { mwifiex_process_tdls_action_frame(priv, (u8 *)rx_hdr, skb->len); }

The parent is not a valid description of that buffer, and may not be valid memory at all. ieee80211_amsdu_to_8023s() ends with

if (!reuse_skb) dev_kfree_skb(skb);

and it only sets reuse_skb when the parent is linear, is not a head_frag, and is being consumed as the *last* subframe. So when the parent does not qualify for reuse it has already been freed, and the read of skb->len is a use-after-free. When it is reused, skb->len is the length of the last subframe, applied to every earlier subframe, which over-states the buffer whenever an earlier subframe is shorter.

The callee cannot absorb a wrong length, because it derives its own ceiling from the value it is given. Each frame type computes

ies_len = len - sizeof(struct ethhdr) - TDLS_*_FIX_LEN;

and the element walk is then bounded entirely against that ceiling,

for (end = pos + ies_len; pos + 1 < end; pos += 2 + pos[1]) { u8 ie_len = pos[1];

if (pos + 2 + ie_len > end) break;

so a too-large len moves end past the end of the subframe and the walk reads and copies beyond it. The A-MSDU layout is chosen by the sender, which makes the difference between the last subframe and a shorter earlier one remotely selectable. Reaching this requires TDLS support in firmware and the TDLS ethertype on the subframe.

The other caller, mwifiex_process_rx_packet(), is correct: it passes a pointer and a length that describe the same region of the RX buffer.

Pass rx_skb->len, the length of the subframe actually being parsed.

AnalysisAI

Use-after-free and out-of-bounds read in the Linux kernel mwifiex WiFi driver (CVSS 8.8, AV:A) allow an unauthenticated attacker on an adjacent WiFi segment to trigger kernel memory corruption by sending crafted A-MSDU frames containing TDLS payloads. Affected kernel versions span from the commit introducing A-MSDU TDLS handling (circa Linux 4.5, commit 776f742040ca) through all stable branches prior to the fixes in 6.6.151, 6.12.103, 6.18.44, 7.1.8, and 7.2-rc6. …

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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata

Access
Gain WiFi segment adjacency
Delivery
Identify mwifiex device with TDLS firmware capability
Exploit
Craft multi-subframe A-MSDU with TDLS ethertype and varying subframe lengths
Execution
Transmit crafted frame to target
Persist
Trigger UAF read of freed parent skb or OOB read past shorter subframe
Impact
Read or corrupt kernel memory

Vulnerability AssessmentAI

Exploitation Attacker must have adjacent network access - specifically, the ability to transmit 802.11 frames directly to a device on the same wireless segment or L2-bridged network. … Additional conditions and limiting factors are described in the full assessment.
Risk Assessment The CVSS 8.8 score with AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N reflects genuine severity: an unauthenticated WiFi peer fully controls A-MSDU subframe layout and, where TDLS is firmware-enabled, can trigger UAF or OOB reads without any victim action. … Full risk analysis with EPSS, KEV, and SSVC signal comparison available after sign-in.
Exploit Scenario An attacker positioned on the same WiFi segment as a device running the mwifiex driver with TDLS-enabled firmware crafts an A-MSDU containing multiple subframes where earlier subframes are substantially shorter than the final subframe and at least one subframe carries the TDLS ethertype (ETH_P_TDLS, 0x890D). When the victim's kernel processes this frame, mwifiex_11n_dispatch_amsdu_pkt() either reads the freed parent skb's length field (use-after-free) or applies the last subframe's larger length to parse a shorter earlier subframe, causing mwifiex_process_tdls_action_frame() to walk TDLS information elements well beyond the actual subframe boundary and read or copy kernel memory. …
Remediation The primary fix is upgrading to a patched kernel release: 6.6.151, 6.12.103, 6.18.44, 7.1.8, or 7.2-rc6. … Detailed patch versions, workarounds, and compensating controls in full report.

Recommended ActionAI

Within 24 hours, identify all Linux systems running mwifiex WiFi driver on affected kernel versions (prior to 6.6.151, 6.12.103, 6.18.44, 7.1.8, or 7.2-rc6) and assess their network exposure. …

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Threat intelligence, references, and detailed analysis are available after sign-in.

Vendor StatusVendor

SUSE

Severity: Important
Product Status
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 16.0 Affected

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CVE-2026-74488 vulnerability details – vuln.today

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