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Linux Kernel EUVDEUVD-2026-93315

| CVE-2026-98330 HIGH
2026-10-06 Linux GHSA-hpc6-p9x9-m2fc
7.0
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: Linux
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Gain local low-privileged access with netns capability
  2. Delivery
    Attach wiphy to a new network namespace
  3. Exploit
    Destroy namespace under memory pressure
  4. Execution
    Interface move fails, leaving garbage netns pointer
  5. Persist
    Dereference in wiphy_unregister
  6. Impact
    Kernel panic (denial of service)

Vulnerability Assessment

Exploitation Conditions

Requires local access on a Linux host whose kernel includes the cfg80211 wifi subsystem, plus the ability to create and destroy network namespaces containing a wiphy (e.g. CAP_NET_ADMIN or an unprivileged user namespace that permits it). The critical trigger is a memory allocation failure during __dev_change_net_namespace while moving the interface back to the initial namespace on netns teardown - only then is the wiphy left with a garbage netns pointer. Limiting factors: no remote vector (local only), low-but-nonzero privilege needed for namespace manipulation, hardware/driver dependency on an actual wiphy, and the allocation-failure precondition cannot be forced deterministically (hence high attack complexity), making reliable exploitation hard.

Impact

This is a genuine but low-priority defensive-patch issue rather than an actively-threatening vulnerability. The signals align consistently toward low real-world risk: the CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:H/PR:L) requires local access, low privileges, AND a high-complexity precondition (a memory allocation failure during the interface move), EPSS is only 0.17% (6th percentile), the CVE is NOT in CISA KEV, and no public exploit code is referenced. Exploitation status: no public exploit identified at time of analysis. The upstream CVSS base score of 7.0 with C:H/I:H/A:H appears generous relative to the described defect, which is a kernel-mode fault (wild/garbage netns pointer dereference in wiphy_unregister) - the realistic primary impact is a kernel crash/denial of service, with memory-corruption-driven escalation being theoretical and non-trivial. CONFLICT TO VERIFY: the input Tag 'Information Disclosure' does not match the described crash-type defect (a garbage pointer dereference causing a kernel fault), so the triad C:H/I:H/A:H and the information-disclosure framing should be treated skeptically. Priority is routine kernel-update hygiene, not emergency patching.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A local user on a multi-tenant Linux host with wifi (cfg80211) support creates a network namespace, attaches a wiphy to it, and then destroys the namespace while the system is under memory pressure so the kernel's attempt to move the interface back to the initial namespace fails. The wiphy is then left with a stale/garbage netns pointer, and the subsequent wiphy_unregister path dereferences it, panicking the kernel. No public proof-of-concept is referenced, and the required allocation-failure race makes reliable triggering difficult.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 07, 2026

Network namespace teardown in the Linux kernel's cfg80211 wireless configuration subsystem can leave a wiphy (wireless device) pointing at a freed network namespace when the interface migration back to the initial namespace fails, producing a kernel mode fault (reported at address 0x30 via genlmsg_multicast_netns / nl80211_notify_wiphy / wiphy_unregister) and crashing the host. The independent assessment rates this availability-only (C:N/I:N/A:H) with AV:L/PR:L, meaning a local attacker with low privileges - CAP_NET_ADMIN or access to an unprivileged user namespace that permits netns creation - is required, and the attack is complicated because it depends on a memory allocation failure occurring at exactly the right moment. There is no confirmed active exploitation (not in CISA KEV) and no public exploit identified at time of analysis; EPSS is 0.17% (6th percentile), consistent with a low-priority defensive fix rather than an imminent threat.

RemediationAI

Apply the vendor-released patch by upgrading to Linux 6.18.54 or 7.2.8 (or 7.3-rc4 and later) on affected branches, or backport the upstream fixes at https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b949b2720688691f1e41bdbfbe3df2b6dc77c34d, https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/caa02072b2986d4b0e7a824de05782ef7b03a0ba and https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4635b1a1c1d693178a537446a6e09963f0fdae52. If immediate kernel updates are not feasible, constrain the trigger surface: restrict unprivileged user namespaces (sysctl kernel.unprivileged_userns_clone=0 or user.max_user_namespaces=0) so non-root users cannot create the network namespaces that carry a wiphy - this breaks container runtimes and sandboxes that rely on unprivileged userns, so it should be scoped to hosts without such workloads; alternatively, on hosts that do not need wireless functionality, blacklist or do not load the cfg80211/mac80211 modules (and associated drivers) to eliminate the wiphy path entirely, at the cost of losing Wi-Fi. Because exploitation also requires an allocation failure during __dev_change_net_namespace(), avoiding aggressive netns churn on memory-pressured systems reduces the practical exposure, but no mitigation other than the kernel fix removes the dangling-pointer condition.

Affected VersionsENISA

Linux patch: 6.18.54
Linux 463d018323851a608eef52a9427b0585005c647f <b949b2720688691f1e41bdbfbe3df2b6dc77c34d
Linux patch: 7.3-rc4
Linux patch: 0
Linux 2.6.32
Linux 463d018323851a608eef52a9427b0585005c647f <caa02072b2986d4b0e7a824de05782ef7b03a0ba
Linux patch: 7.2.8
Linux 463d018323851a608eef52a9427b0585005c647f <4635b1a1c1d693178a537446a6e09963f0fdae52

Affected Packages

euvd linux no fix

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

cfg80211 is the kernel's wireless configuration core; it exposes wiphy (wireless PHY) objects to userspace through the nl80211 generic netlink family and hooks into per-network-namespace lifecycle via pernet_operations. On netns destruction, cfg80211_pernet_exit() attempts to move any wiphy still resident in that namespace back to the initial namespace and previously only emitted a warning if the move failed. That move relies on __dev_change_net_namespace(), which can fail under memory pressure; when it does, the wiphy keeps a dangling struct net pointer. Subsequent netlink multicast activity (genlmsg_multicast_netns via nl80211_notify_wiphy during wiphy_unregister) then dereferences the stale pointer, faulting at offset 0x30 - a classic dangling-pointer/memory-safety defect (CWE not provided in the source data). The fix removes, rather than forcibly relocates, interfaces that cannot be moved so the wiphy is never left with a garbage netns reference; the netdev core unregisters those interfaces anyway. A related path was previously addressed by commit debac3a20dec ("net: Remove conflicting altnames for dying netns in __dev_change_net_namespace()."). The affected CPE is cpe:2.3:a:linux:linux, i.e. the mainline kernel tree including its stable branches.

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Severity by source

Vendor (Linux) PRIMARY 7.0 HIGH
AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 4.7 MEDIUM

Local only (AV:L), needs netns privileges (PR:L) and a hard-to-force allocation failure (AC:H); realistic impact is a kernel panic (A:H) with no confirmed confidentiality/integrity loss.

3.1 AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
4.0 AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (Linux).

CVSS VectorVendor: Linux

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

4
CVSS changed
Oct 07, 2026 - 07:22 NVD
7.0 (HIGH)
Patch available
Oct 06, 2026 - 10:02 EUVD
CVE Published
Oct 06, 2026 - 08:46 cve.org
HIGH 7.0
CVE Published
Oct 06, 2026 - 08:46 cve.org
UNKNOWN (no severity yet)

DescriptionCVE.org

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

wifi: cfg80211: get the wiphy out of a dying network namespace

When a network namespace is destroyed, cfg80211_pernet_exit() moves any wiphy back to the initial namespace, and just warns if that fails. But moving an interface can fail (due to allocation failures), and then the wiphy is left behind with a garbage netns pointer:

Kernel mode fault at addr 0x30 genlmsg_multicast_netns.constprop.0+0x46/0xcf [cfg80211] nl80211_notify_wiphy+0xcd/0xe8 [cfg80211] wiphy_unregister+0x169/0x3fc [cfg80211]

Note that commit debac3a20dec ("net: Remove conflicting altnames for dying netns in __dev_change_net_namespace().") fixed another path that could reach it without allocation failures.

Remove interfaces that cannot be moved instead of failing the switch, so that the wiphy always ends up in the initial namespace. In this case the netdev core will unregister the interfaces anyway.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

A flaw in the Linux kernel's cfg80211 wireless configuration subsystem can allow a local user with low privileges to crash an affected host, producing a denial-of-service condition on systems that manage wireless network namespaces. Leadership should care because the impact is service availability rather than data exposure: a successful trigger takes the machine down, and the affected population is any Linux server, wireless controller, or embedded device running an unpatched kernel in scope for enterprise operations. Exploitation requires local access and precise timing, and no public exploit or active exploitation has been observed, so this is a scheduled remediation item rather than an emergency.

Business Impact: Medium
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 94% exploitable
Prevalence
Ubiquitous
Linux kernel is ubiquitous; vulnerable cfg80211 wifi/netns path narrows real exposure
Threat Intel
1
1 sources
Data Quality
4 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.2%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Defer
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact
Medium

Priority Score

35
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +35
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.

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