CVE-2026-74661
mac802154: fix netdev use-after-free in beacon worker
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mac802154: fix netdev use-after-free in beacon worker mac802154_beacon_worker() reads local->beacon_req under RCU and derives the sub-interface from the request, but then drops the RCU read lock and continues to use both sdata and the embedded wpan_dev. mac802154_stop_beacons_locked() cancels only pending beacon work, clears local->beacon_req and frees the request. A beacon worker that is already running can therefore continue after interface teardown and dereference the freed netdev private area. The scan worker already pins the netdev before leaving RCU. Apply the same lifetime rule to the beacon worker: take a netdev reference while the request is still protected by RCU, and release it on all paths that continue after the reference is acquired.
INFO
Published Date :
Aug. 22, 2026, 4:16 p.m.
Last Modified :
Aug. 22, 2026, 4:16 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Affected Products
The following products are affected by CVE-2026-74661
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
- Pin the netdev before leaving RCU.
- Release the netdev reference on all paths.
- Ensure beacon worker respects netdev lifetime.
- Apply the same lifetime rule to beacon worker.
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-2026-74661.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-74661 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-2026-74661
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-2026-74661 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-74661 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. 22, 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': '3accf4762734a69ebd03cba989249c78ac7dfc7e', 'lessThan': 'fe820dcc1d8ff77783a9d2bcc93b98c99ac6d517', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '3accf4762734a69ebd03cba989249c78ac7dfc7e', 'lessThan': 'e5fb0e03bc7f45508c182a427357bf6b389a9033', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '3accf4762734a69ebd03cba989249c78ac7dfc7e', 'lessThan': 'e6cd416a899edc912b428c4ba399bd73f516cb31', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '3accf4762734a69ebd03cba989249c78ac7dfc7e', 'lessThan': '9d067e581597c462c51fee8a30b51bc48a68c4e1', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '3accf4762734a69ebd03cba989249c78ac7dfc7e', 'lessThan': '5f26a690e8efa54315e4922368daf54e0b8f5515', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['net/mac802154/scan.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '6.3'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '6.3', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.6.152', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.6.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.12.104', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.12.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.18.45', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.18.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1.9', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.2', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['net/mac802154/scan.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mac802154: fix netdev use-after-free in beacon worker mac802154_beacon_worker() reads local->beacon_req under RCU and derives the sub-interface from the request, but then drops the RCU read lock and continues to use both sdata and the embedded wpan_dev. mac802154_stop_beacons_locked() cancels only pending beacon work, clears local->beacon_req and frees the request. A beacon worker that is already running can therefore continue after interface teardown and dereference the freed netdev private area. The scan worker already pins the netdev before leaving RCU. Apply the same lifetime rule to the beacon worker: take a netdev reference while the request is still protected by RCU, and release it on all paths that continue after the reference is acquired. Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5f26a690e8efa54315e4922368daf54e0b8f5515 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9d067e581597c462c51fee8a30b51bc48a68c4e1 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e5fb0e03bc7f45508c182a427357bf6b389a9033 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e6cd416a899edc912b428c4ba399bd73f516cb31 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fe820dcc1d8ff77783a9d2bcc93b98c99ac6d517