CVE Catalog

CVE-2026-98340

Low risk· EPSS 8%
Published: Updated: Translated: NVD NIST

Exploitation Probability (EPSS)

Low risk
0.18%

8th percentile - higher than 8% of all known CVEs

Summary

In the Linux kernel, __cfg80211_bss_update() grouped hidden BSS entries with entries from probe responses lacking beacon elements. A later beacon with a hidden SSID triggered WARN_ON_ONCE in cfg80211_combine_bsses().

Risk Assessment

This can lead to kernel warnings and potential instability of the WiFi stack when processing hidden BSS networks.

Recommendation

Update the Linux kernel to a version with the fix that only combines entries when a beacon was already received.

Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

See all
Original NVD description (English source)

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: cfg80211: only group hidden BSSes with beacon entries When a probe response for an unknown BSS comes in, __cfg80211_bss_update() looks for an existing entry with the same BSSID and a hidden (zero-length or NUL-filled) SSID, and if it finds one it groups them, using the beacon IEs from the existing entry. But that could find another entry without a beacon, if it was also from a probe response (with SSID), so there's a group without beacon elements. If a beacon with a hidden SSID for that BSSID arrives later, cfg80211_combine_bsses() goes looking for the probe response entries that belong to it - i.e. entries with the same BSSID and channel that have no beacon IEs - and finds those two. They are already grouped with each other, so it hits its WARN_ON_ONCE(bss->pub.hidden_beacon_bss) WARN_ON_ONCE(!list_empty(&bss->hidden_list)) which are there because an entry without beacon elements is not supposed to be part of a group yet. Only combine entries when a beacon was already received, ones that are kept separate will be combined when a beacon arrives.

Vulnerability data from NVD (NIST) · CISA KEV · EPSS