Cloudanix VulnDB

CVE-2026-98916

None

CVSS

—

EPSS

0.2%

Published

Oct 23, 2026

CISA due date

—

Cloudanix analysis

Schedule a fix SSVC: Track

A missing check in Linux wireless networking code could let attackers cause network crashes by sending certain requests to inactive connections.

Exploitation
Local Privilege
Attacker needs
Low Privilege
Complexity
Moderate
Impact
Denial Of Service
Component
OS kernel
Class
Improper Input Validation
Remediation
Upgrade
Effort
Medium
Patch risk
Low

What it actually does

Missing validation in nl80211 allows color change operations on non-beaconing wireless links, resulting in invalid driver invocations in the Linux kernel wifi stack.

Why it matters to the business

Potential wireless interface instability or crashes on Linux systems using affected 802.11 drivers, leading to loss of network connectivity in affected environments.

How an attack unfolds

An attacker with local or wireless access triggers a color change request through nl80211 without ensuring the target link is actively beaconing, bypassing the missing check and causing the kernel to pass invalid state to the driver.

How to fix it

Apply the upstream kernel patch that adds the beaconing check before color change operations; update to a kernel version containing the fix for the nl80211 color change validation.

How to confirm the fix worked

Confirm the presence of the beaconing validation check in nl80211 color change handling code or verify the system is running a patched kernel version after update.

Typical attack path

  1. Gain access to trigger nl80211 commands on the target system
  2. Identify or create a wireless link not currently beaconing
  3. Issue color change request without prior beaconing validation
  4. Trigger invalid driver callback leading to crash or undefined behavior

How to detect it

Review kernel logs for nl80211 or wifi driver errors around color change operations; inspect audit logs for unusual nl80211 color change requests from non-standard processes.

What your security team should do

  • Prioritize kernel updates for systems with wireless interfaces
  • Monitor for wireless driver oops or crashes in logs
  • Restrict unprivileged access to nl80211 interfaces where feasible

The record

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: nl80211: check link is beaconing for color change When trying to do a color change, validate that the link is beaconing first, to avoid calling the driver with an invalid link.

Affected packages

Ecosystem Package Introduced Fixed