CVE-2026-98700
NoneCVSS
—
EPSS
0.2%
Published
Oct 18, 2026
CISA due date
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Cloudanix analysis
A wireless networking bug in Linux can cause some WiFi transmissions to use the wrong settings, leading to slower or unreliable connections on affected devices.
- Exploitation
- Remote Unauthenticated
- Attacker needs
- None
- Complexity
- Theoretical
- Impact
- Denial Of Service
- Component
- OS kernel
- Class
- Other
- Remediation
- Upgrade
- Effort
- Medium
- Patch risk
- Low
What it actually does
The flaw omits setting info->band from the channel context in ieee80211_8023_xmit() for 802.3 encapsulated frames on non-MLD interfaces, leaving the field at zero so ieee80211_get_tx_rates() selects rates from the wrong band.
Why it matters to the business
Linux-based wireless devices may experience degraded throughput, unexpected rate fallback, or connectivity instability on affected WiFi hardware until the kernel is updated.
How an attack unfolds
An attacker sends or triggers 802.3 encapsulated transmit frames over a non-MLD interface; the missing band value causes rate selection to operate on band 0, resulting in incorrect transmission parameters.
How to fix it
Update to a Linux kernel containing the referenced commit that sets info->band identically to ieee80211_build_hdr() on non-MLD interfaces.
How to confirm the fix worked
Confirm the patch is present by inspecting the mac80211 TX path for the band assignment logic; test 802.3 encapsulation offload on non-MLD interfaces to verify correct band propagation.
Typical attack path
- Identify a target Linux system using mac80211 with 802.3 encapsulation offload on a non-MLD WiFi interface
- Cause or observe transmission of 802.3 encapsulated frames
- Trigger conditions where ieee80211_get_tx_rates() is called with band unset
How to detect it
Inspect kernel logs for mac80211 rate selection anomalies or wireless interface errors on non-MLD devices; correlate with 802.3 encapsulation usage.
What your security team should do
- Prioritize kernel updates for systems exposing WiFi interfaces
- Monitor upstream stable and distribution kernel releases for the fix
- Review wireless driver configurations for non-MLD usage
The record
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: mac80211: set info->band for 802.3 encap offload frames Unlike the 802.11 TX paths, ieee80211_8023_xmit() does not set info->band from the channel context on non-MLD interfaces. It stays at 0, so ieee80211_get_tx_rates() uses the wrong band for these frames. Set it the same way as ieee80211_build_hdr(): drop the frame if there is no channel context, and leave the band at 0 on MLD interfaces.
Affected packages
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