CVE-2026-68402
Description
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Wi-Fi subsystem (cfg80211). The cfg80211_is_element_inherited() function does not properly validate the length of extension elements. A remote attacker, by sending a specially crafted Wi-Fi frame from an Access Point (AP), could trigger a one-octet slab-out-of-bounds read during element parsing. This could lead to information disclosure or potentially other impacts.
Statement
This vulnerability is rated as Moderate impact for Red Hat Enterprise Linux because exploitation requires wireless networking hardware and radio proximity to a rogue access point. Most enterprise server deployments do not utilize Wi-Fi interfaces, greatly restricting the attack surface in standard production environments. On affected client or edge devices, an untrusted wireless access point can trigger a single-byte read beyond buffer boundaries during frame parsing, potentially causing a system crash or limited kernel information disclosure rather than arbitrary code execution.
Mitigation
To mitigate this issue, disable the Wi-Fi functionality if it is not required. This can be done by blacklisting the `cfg80211` kernel module.
1. Create a new file `/etc/modprobe.d/disable-wifi.conf` with the following content:
blacklist cfg802112. Rebuild the initial ramdisk:
bash3. Reboot the system for the changes to take effect.
sudo dracut -f -v
This mitigation will prevent the `cfg80211` module, and thus Wi-Fi, from loading. This may impact network connectivity if Wi-Fi is the primary or only network interface.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 7 | N/A | 7.1 |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | Adjacent Network |
| Attack Complexity | High | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | Low | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | High | N/A | Low |
| Integrity Impact | High | N/A | None |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:H
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