CVE-2026-23444
wifi: mac80211: always free skb on ieee80211_tx_prepare_skb() failure
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: mac80211: always free skb on ieee80211_tx_prepare_skb() failure ieee80211_tx_prepare_skb() has three error paths, but only two of them free the skb. The first error path (ieee80211_tx_prepare() returning TX_DROP) does not free it, while invoke_tx_handlers() failure and the fragmentation check both do. Add kfree_skb() to the first error path so all three are consistent, and remove the now-redundant frees in callers (ath9k, mt76, mac80211_hwsim) to avoid double-free. Document the skb ownership guarantee in the function's kdoc.
INFO
Published Date :
April 3, 2026, 4:16 p.m.
Last Modified :
June 1, 2026, 5:16 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | MEDIUM | [email protected] | ||||
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 |
Solution
- Apply kernel patches to fix memory management in ieee80211_tx_prepare_skb().
- Ensure all error paths consistently free skb resources.
- Update kdoc to reflect skb ownership guarantees.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-23444.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-23444 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-23444
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-23444 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-23444 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
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CVE Modified by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Jun. 01, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5ef8ca1c164786da24169af155c1ca1ff1353cf8 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/905ef207d5ed99ca64adfe39fba9ac46e434327a Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9a779d1f480e83720b5384adf165604e7ee226bd -
CVE Modified by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Apr. 27, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3b4d27acafaeab478fd24f79ad6e593a892828b9 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f77b51bcee7be2bb686b5f7a2d4a1921e4bdb9f4 -
Initial Analysis by [email protected]
Apr. 23, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Added CWE CWE-401 Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:3.13:-:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.0:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.0:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.0:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.0:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.0:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.0:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.0:rc7:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 6.19 up to (excluding) 6.19.10 *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 3.13.1 up to (excluding) 6.18.20 Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/06e769dddcbeb3baf2ce346273b53dd61fdbecf4 Types: Patch Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/50f1b690b4868923fbd242298def2fb88662f108 Types: Patch Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d5ad6ab61cbd89afdb60881f6274f74328af3ee9 Types: Patch -
New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Apr. 03, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: mac80211: always free skb on ieee80211_tx_prepare_skb() failure ieee80211_tx_prepare_skb() has three error paths, but only two of them free the skb. The first error path (ieee80211_tx_prepare() returning TX_DROP) does not free it, while invoke_tx_handlers() failure and the fragmentation check both do. Add kfree_skb() to the first error path so all three are consistent, and remove the now-redundant frees in callers (ath9k, mt76, mac80211_hwsim) to avoid double-free. Document the skb ownership guarantee in the function's kdoc. Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/06e769dddcbeb3baf2ce346273b53dd61fdbecf4 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/50f1b690b4868923fbd242298def2fb88662f108 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d5ad6ab61cbd89afdb60881f6274f74328af3ee9