CVE-2026-68408
wifi: cfg80211: convert pmsr_free_wk to wiphy_work to fix deadlock
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: cfg80211: convert pmsr_free_wk to wiphy_work to fix deadlock When a netlink socket that owns a PMSR session is closed, cfg80211_release_pmsr() clears the request's nl_portid and queues pmsr_free_wk to call cfg80211_pmsr_process_abort() asynchronously. If the interface tears down concurrently, cfg80211_pmsr_wdev_down() is called under wiphy_lock and calls cancel_work_sync(&pmsr_free_wk) to wait for any running work. The work function acquires wiphy_lock via guard(wiphy) before calling process_abort. This is a deadlock: wdev_down holds wiphy_lock and blocks inside cancel_work_sync(); pmsr_free_wk blocks trying to acquire that same wiphy_lock. Neither thread can proceed. The same deadlock is reachable from cfg80211_leave_locked(), which calls cfg80211_pmsr_wdev_down() for all interface types under wiphy_lock. Fix this by converting pmsr_free_wk from a plain work_struct to a wiphy_work. The wiphy_work dispatcher holds wiphy_lock when running work items, so the explicit guard(wiphy) in the work function is no longer needed. wiphy_work_cancel() can be called safely while holding wiphy_lock - since wiphy_lock prevents the work from running concurrently, wiphy_work_cancel() never blocks, eliminating the deadlock. Remove the cancel_work_sync() for pmsr_free_wk from the NETDEV_GOING_DOWN handler. cfg80211_leave(), called unconditionally just before it, already cancels any pending work under wiphy_lock via wiphy_work_cancel() inside cfg80211_pmsr_wdev_down().
INFO
Published Date :
Aug. 10, 2026, 1:20 p.m.
Last Modified :
Aug. 10, 2026, 1:20 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Affected Products
The following products are affected by CVE-2026-68408
vulnerability.
Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the
products
that
are
affected, the information is not represented in the table below.
No affected product recoded yet
Solution
- Update the Linux kernel to the latest stable version.
- Apply the patch that converts pmsr_free_wk to wiphy_work.
- Remove cancel_work_sync from NETDEV_GOING_DOWN handler.
- Ensure cfg80211_leave() is called before interface teardown.
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-2026-68408.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-68408 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-2026-68408
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-2026-68408 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-68408 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.
-
New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Aug. 10, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Affected [{'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': 'd32c07ef1880fe20cf4ab223dbfedc9c0b2816aa', 'lessThan': '21512b5f7a74fd18c996c22e6854efe57d570816', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'a1b7a843f12a0c3e9d3a2ca607ce451916ef42cf', 'lessThan': '133684982dd0c24359fcc641d19d89cc17d6e5ef', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '6dccbc9f3e1d38565dff7730d2b7d1e8b16c9b09', 'lessThan': '0a77d9fb4d5c0e01306cd406ffdee8f1fe955c0e', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '6dccbc9f3e1d38565dff7730d2b7d1e8b16c9b09', 'lessThan': '2b0eab425e1f658d8fe1df7590e3b9af5959505e', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '28d3551f8d8cb3aec7497894d94150fe84d20e5e', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '37e776e2e0a523731e2470dce6d563f0e8632a40', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '72b7ea786b8e570ae11149e9089859a4a8634a13', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '6.12.78', 'lessThan': '6.12.101', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '6.18.20', 'lessThan': '6.18.42', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '6.1.167', 'lessThan': '6.2', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '6.6.130', 'lessThan': '6.7', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '6.19.10', 'lessThan': '6.20', 'versionType': 'semver'}], 'programFiles': ['include/net/cfg80211.h', 'net/wireless/core.c', 'net/wireless/core.h', 'net/wireless/pmsr.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '7.0'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '7.0', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.12.101', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.12.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.18.42', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.18.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1.6', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.2-rc4', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['include/net/cfg80211.h', 'net/wireless/core.c', 'net/wireless/core.h', 'net/wireless/pmsr.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: cfg80211: convert pmsr_free_wk to wiphy_work to fix deadlock When a netlink socket that owns a PMSR session is closed, cfg80211_release_pmsr() clears the request's nl_portid and queues pmsr_free_wk to call cfg80211_pmsr_process_abort() asynchronously. If the interface tears down concurrently, cfg80211_pmsr_wdev_down() is called under wiphy_lock and calls cancel_work_sync(&pmsr_free_wk) to wait for any running work. The work function acquires wiphy_lock via guard(wiphy) before calling process_abort. This is a deadlock: wdev_down holds wiphy_lock and blocks inside cancel_work_sync(); pmsr_free_wk blocks trying to acquire that same wiphy_lock. Neither thread can proceed. The same deadlock is reachable from cfg80211_leave_locked(), which calls cfg80211_pmsr_wdev_down() for all interface types under wiphy_lock. Fix this by converting pmsr_free_wk from a plain work_struct to a wiphy_work. The wiphy_work dispatcher holds wiphy_lock when running work items, so the explicit guard(wiphy) in the work function is no longer needed. wiphy_work_cancel() can be called safely while holding wiphy_lock - since wiphy_lock prevents the work from running concurrently, wiphy_work_cancel() never blocks, eliminating the deadlock. Remove the cancel_work_sync() for pmsr_free_wk from the NETDEV_GOING_DOWN handler. cfg80211_leave(), called unconditionally just before it, already cancels any pending work under wiphy_lock via wiphy_work_cancel() inside cfg80211_pmsr_wdev_down(). Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0a77d9fb4d5c0e01306cd406ffdee8f1fe955c0e Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/133684982dd0c24359fcc641d19d89cc17d6e5ef Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/21512b5f7a74fd18c996c22e6854efe57d570816 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2b0eab425e1f658d8fe1df7590e3b9af5959505e