Linux Kernel up to 6.18.39/7.1.4 rtw89 rtw89_assoc_link_rcu_dereference mac_id array index

CVSS Meta Temp Score CVSS is a standardized scoring system to determine possibilities of attacks. The Temp Score considers temporal factors like disclosure, exploit and countermeasures. The unique Meta Score calculates the average score of different sources to provide a normalized scoring system.	Current Exploit Price (≈) Our analysts are monitoring exploit markets and are in contact with vulnerability brokers. The range indicates the observed or calculated exploit price to be seen on exploit markets. A good indicator to understand the monetary effort required for and the popularity of an attack.	CTI Interest Score Our Cyber Threat Intelligence team is monitoring different web sites, mailing lists, exploit markets and social media networks. The CTI Interest Score identifies the interest of attackers and the security community for this specific vulnerability in real-time. A high score indicates an elevated risk to be targeted for this vulnerability.
9.5	$5k-$25k	0.00-

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability, which was classified as very critical, has been found in Linux Kernel up to 6.18.39/7.1.4. This impacts the function rtw89_assoc_link_rcu_dereference of the component rtw89. The manipulation of the argument mac_id leads to array index. This vulnerability is uniquely identified as CVE-2026-74409. The attack is possible to be carried out remotely. No exploit exists.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability, which was classified as very critical, has been found in Linux Kernel up to 6.18.39/7.1.4. This issue affects the function rtw89_assoc_link_rcu_dereference of the component rtw89. The manipulation of the argument mac_id with an unknown input leads to a array index vulnerability. Using CWE to declare the problem leads to CWE-129. The product uses untrusted input when calculating or using an array index, but the product does not validate or incorrectly validates the index to ensure the index references a valid position within the array. Impacted is confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: rtw89: add bounds check on firmware mac_id in link lookup The mac_id field in RX descriptors is 8 bits wide (0-255), but assoc_link_on_macid[] has only RTW89_MAX_MAC_ID_NUM (128) entries. While the driver currently assigns mac_id values below 128, the descriptor value comes from firmware and is not validated before use as an array index. Add a defensive bounds check in rtw89_assoc_link_rcu_dereference() to guard against out-of-range firmware values.

The advisory is shared at git.kernel.org. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-2026-74409 since 08/15/2026. The exploitation is known to be easy. The attack may be initiated remotely. Technical details are known, but no exploit is available. The price for an exploit might be around USD $5k-$25k at the moment (estimation calculated on 08/15/2026).

Upgrading to version 6.18.40, 7.1.5 or 7.2-rc1 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch ad445de67359f24088d4305c05fbd7e34c4e35e3/920101305e7601a33b9e01019f4ca526af2526ae/6d88244bb129755acca696f9227200f4a2d106a6 is able to eliminate this problem.

Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.

Productinfo

Type

• Operating System

Vendor

• Linux

Name

• Kernel

Version

• 6.18.0
• 6.18.1
• 6.18.2
• 6.18.3
• 6.18.4
• 6.18.5
• 6.18.6
• 6.18.7
• 6.18.8
• 6.18.9
• 6.18.10
• 6.18.11
• 6.18.12
• 6.18.13
• 6.18.14
• 6.18.15
• 6.18.16
• 6.18.17
• 6.18.18
• 6.18.19
• 6.18.20
• 6.18.21
• 6.18.22
• 6.18.23
• 6.18.24
• 6.18.25
• 6.18.26
• 6.18.27
• 6.18.28
• 6.18.29
• 6.18.30
• 6.18.31
• 6.18.32
• 6.18.33
• 6.18.34
• 6.18.35
• 6.18.36
• 6.18.37
• 6.18.38
• 6.18.39
• 7.1.0
• 7.1.1
• 7.1.2
• 7.1.3
• 7.1.4

License

• open-source

Website

• Vendor: https://www.kernel.org/

CPE 2.3info

• 🔒
• 🔒
• 🔒

CPE 2.2info

• 🔒
• 🔒
• 🔒

CVSSv4info

VulDB Vector: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv3info

VulDB Meta Base Score: 9.9
VulDB Meta Temp Score: 9.5

VulDB Base Score: 9.9
VulDB Temp Score: 9.5
VulDB Vector: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv2info

AV	AC	Au	C	I	A
💳	💳	💳	💳	💳	💳
💳	💳	💳	💳	💳	💳
💳	💳	💳	💳	💳	💳

Vector	Complexity	Authentication	Confidentiality	Integrity	Availability
Unlock	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock
Unlock	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock
Unlock	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock

VulDB Base Score: 🔒
VulDB Temp Score: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

Exploitinginfo

Class: Array index
CWE: CWE-129 / CWE-119
CAPEC: 🔒
ATT&CK: 🔒

Physical: No
Local: No
Remote: Yes

Availability: 🔒
Status: Not defined
Price Prediction: 🔍
Current Price Estimation: 🔒

0-Day	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock
Today	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock

Threat Intelligenceinfo

Interest: 🔍
Active Actors: 🔍
Active APT Groups: 🔍

Countermeasuresinfo

Recommended: Upgrade
Status: 🔍

0-Day Time: 🔒

Upgrade: Kernel 6.18.40/7.1.5/7.2-rc1
Patch: ad445de67359f24088d4305c05fbd7e34c4e35e3/920101305e7601a33b9e01019f4ca526af2526ae/6d88244bb129755acca696f9227200f4a2d106a6

Timelineinfo

08/15/2026 Advisory disclosed
08/15/2026 +0 days CVE reserved
08/15/2026 +0 days VulDB entry created
08/15/2026 +0 days VulDB entry last update

Sourcesinfo

Vendor: kernel.org

Advisory: git.kernel.org
Status: Confirmed

CVE: CVE-2026-74409 (🔒)
GCVE (CVE): GCVE-0-2026-74409
GCVE (VulDB): GCVE-100-390377

Entryinfo

Created: 08/15/2026 10:36
Changes: 08/15/2026 10:36 (60)
Complete: 🔍
Cache ID: 216::103

Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.

Discussion

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