CVE-2026-72049 in Linux
Summary
by MITRE • 08/15/2026
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ieee802154: admin-gate legacy LLSEC dump operations
In net/ieee802154/netlink.c, the legacy IEEE802154_NL family ops table builds the LLSEC dump entries (LLSEC_LIST_KEY, LLSEC_LIST_DEV, LLSEC_LIST_DEVKEY, LLSEC_LIST_SECLEVEL) with IEEE802154_DUMP() which sets no .flags, so generic netlink runs them ungated. The modern nl802154 family admin-gates the equivalent reads via NL802154_CMD_GET_SEC_KEY and friends with .flags = GENL_ADMIN_PERM.
Any local uid that can open AF_NETLINK / NETLINK_GENERIC can resolve the "802.15.4 MAC" family and dump LLSEC_LIST_KEY on any wpan netdev that has an LLSEC key installed; the dump handler writes the raw 16-byte AES-128 key bytes (IEEE802154_ATTR_LLSEC_KEY_BYTES, copied verbatim from struct ieee802154_llsec_key.key) into the reply. Recovering the AES key compromises 802.15.4 LLSEC link confidentiality and authenticity, since LLSEC uses CCM* and the same key authenticates and encrypts frames.
Impact: any local uid with no capabilities can read the raw 16-byte AES-128 LLSEC key from the kernel keytable on any wpan netdev that has an administrator-installed LLSEC key, by issuing an LLSEC_LIST_KEY dump on the legacy IEEE802154_NL generic-netlink family.
Introduce IEEE802154_DUMP_PRIV() mirroring IEEE802154_DUMP() but setting .flags = GENL_ADMIN_PERM, and use it for the four LLSEC dump entries. LIST_PHY and LIST_IFACE retain IEEE802154_DUMP() because the modern nl802154 family exposes their equivalents to unprivileged readers by design (NL802154_CMD_GET_WPAN_PHY and NL802154_CMD_GET_INTERFACE carry "can be retrieved by unprivileged users" annotations).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/15/2026
The vulnerability resides in the Linux kernel's ieee802154 subsystem where legacy netlink operations lack proper access controls for security-sensitive operations. This issue affects the IEEE 802.15.4 wireless personal area network implementation and specifically targets the LLSEC (Link Layer Security) functionality that provides confidentiality and authenticity protection for frames transmitted over these networks. The vulnerability stems from inconsistent privilege enforcement between legacy and modern netlink command implementations within the kernel's networking subsystem.
The technical flaw manifests in how the ieee802154 netlink family handles dump operations through the legacy IEEE802154_NL family ops table. The four LLSEC dump entries LLSEC_LIST_KEY, LLSEC_LIST_DEV, LLSEC_LIST_DEVKEY, and LLSEC_LIST_SECLEVEL utilize IEEE802154_DUMP() macro which does not set any access flags, allowing unrestricted execution through generic netlink mechanisms. This contrasts with the modern nl802154 family that properly admin-gates equivalent operations via NL802154_CMD_GET_SEC_KEY and related commands with .flags = GENL_ADMIN_PERM. The mismatch creates an access control gap where unprivileged users can exploit this inconsistency to retrieve sensitive security information.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it enables full compromise of 802.15.4 LLSEC protection mechanisms. Any local user with basic network access can perform dump operations against wireless personal area network devices that have administrator-installed LLSEC keys, extracting raw 16-byte AES-128 key material directly from kernel memory. This exposure fundamentally undermines the security model since the extracted keys can be used to decrypt and forge frames within the affected wireless networks, effectively breaking both confidentiality and authenticity guarantees provided by the LLSEC framework.
The vulnerability demonstrates a classic privilege escalation pattern that aligns with CWE-276 (Insecure Default Permissions) and CWE-732 (Incorrect Permission Assignment) categories, where insufficient access controls allow unauthorized information disclosure. From an ATT&CK perspective, this maps to T1068 (Local Privilege Escalation) and T1566 (Phishing with Social Engineering) through the potential for information gathering that could enable further attacks. The security implications are particularly severe in environments where 802.15.4 networks handle sensitive data, as the extracted keys could be used to monitor communications or impersonate legitimate network devices.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing proper administrative privileges for sensitive dump operations while maintaining backward compatibility. The solution involves introducing IEEE802154_DUMP_PRIV() macro that mirrors IEEE802154_DUMP() functionality but enforces administrative permissions through GENL_ADMIN_PERM flags. This approach ensures that only users with appropriate administrative capabilities can access LLSEC key material, while preserving existing functionality for non-sensitive operations like LIST_PHY and LIST_IFACE which should remain accessible to unprivileged users as designed in the modern nl802154 family implementation.