CVE-2026-98424
Description
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's cfg80211 wireless configuration subsystem. This flaw allows a local user to cause a Denial of Service (DoS) when switching a wireless device between network namespaces (isolated virtual network environments). If the device rename operation fails due to memory allocation errors, the kernel does not properly undo the migration, leaving interfaces stranded across different namespaces and triggering kernel warnings that destabilize network operations.
Statement
A flaw of low impact was found in the cfg80211 wireless configuration subsystem of the Linux kernel. When a local user holding the CAP_NET_ADMIN privilege moves a wireless device (wiphy) between network namespaces via nl80211 operations, cfg80211_switch_netns() first moves all interfaces and then renames the wiphy so that sysfs relocates it. If that rename fails due to a memory allocation failure, the migration was not undone, leaving the wireless interfaces and the wiphy stranded across two different network namespaces in an inconsistent state, triggering a kernel warning and disrupting the management and operation of the affected wireless device; confidentiality and integrity are not impacted. Red Hat rates this flaw Low impact rather than the Moderate severity implied by the CVSS:3.1 availability-only score of 5.5, because triggering it requires an already-privileged local actor to encounter a memory allocation failure during the rename, a condition that is difficult to control in practice. The kernel and kernel-rt packages in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, 8, 9, and 10, the kernel packages in Red Hat In-Vehicle OS, and the RHEL CoreOS 8 and 9 layers of OpenShift Container Platform are affected; on these streams the fix is deferred to a future planned update given the low severity and limited exploitability of the issue, and the residual risk is a local, privilege- and memory-pressure-dependent denial of service restricted to wireless devices whose network namespace switch fails. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Extended Lifecycle Support is out of support scope for this flaw.
Mitigation
Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options do not meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base, or stability.
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).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 5.5 | N/A | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | N/A |
| Privileges Required | Low | N/A | N/A |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | N/A |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | N/A |
| Confidentiality | None | N/A | N/A |
| Integrity Impact | None | N/A | N/A |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Availability,Integrity
Technical Impact: Unexpected State; Varies by Context; DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
The product could be prevented from detecting unexpected states and conditions, placing the product into a state that could lead to a crash or other unintended behaviors.
Access Control
Technical Impact: Bypass Protection Mechanism
If the method/function is used for a protection mechanism, then an unchecked return value could prevent the code from being able to see if the protection mechanism fails. For example, if the program calls a function to drop privileges but does not check the return code to ensure that privileges were successfully dropped, then the program will continue to operate with the higher privileges.
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