Linux Kernel up to 6.12.108/6.18.49/7.2.3 rtw88 rtw_pci_probe memory leak

CVSS Meta Temp Score
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Current Exploit Price (≈)
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CTI Interest Score
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7.2$0-$5k0.00+

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability marked as critical has been reported in Linux Kernel up to 6.12.108/6.18.49/7.2.3. The impacted element is the function rtw_pci_probe of the component rtw88. Performing a manipulation results in memory leak. This vulnerability is identified as CVE-2026-80940. The attack can be initiated remotely. There is not any exploit available. It is suggested to upgrade the affected component.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability classified as critical has been found in Linux Kernel up to 6.12.108/6.18.49/7.2.3. This affects the function rtw_pci_probe of the component rtw88. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a memory leak vulnerability. CWE is classifying the issue as CWE-401. The product does not sufficiently track and release allocated memory after it has been used, which slowly consumes remaining memory. This is going to have an impact on availability. The summary by CVE is:

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: rtw88: pci: fix resource leak on failed NAPI setup rtw_pci_probe() allocates PCI resources through rtw_pci_setup_resource() before it sets up NAPI. If rtw_pci_napi_init() fails, the error path jumps straight to err_pci_declaim and skips rtw_pci_destroy(), leaving the PCI resources allocated by rtw_pci_setup_resource() behind. Add a dedicated cleanup label for the NAPI setup failure path so probe destroys the PCI resources. The bug was first flagged by an experimental analysis tool we are developing for kernel memory-management bugs while analyzing current mainline kernels. The tool is still under development and is not yet publicly available. Manual inspection confirms that the bug is still present in v7.1-rc7. An x86_64 allyesconfig build showed no new warnings. As we do not have a suitable rtw88 PCI board to test with, no runtime testing was able to be performed.

It is possible to read the advisory at git.kernel.org. This vulnerability is uniquely identified as CVE-2026-80940 since 08/26/2026. The exploitability is told to be easy. It is possible to initiate the attack remotely. No form of authentication is needed for exploitation. Technical details of the vulnerability are known, but there is no available exploit. The pricing for an exploit might be around USD $0-$5k at the moment (estimation calculated on 09/11/2026). The attack technique deployed by this issue is T1499 according to MITRE ATT&CK.

Upgrading to version 6.12.109, 6.18.50, 7.2.4 or 7.3-rc1 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch 481fff9bda01720c70b19fb260808145a3f21594/34a505071d1ffc5ebf3dc3cd16d2a12b044bcc84/b1596e212ab1739930b25b9d3daf6b5cd307b537/e779df4806cd29cbcca5c9dc0a1073662c76b889 is able to eliminate this problem. The best possible mitigation is suggested to be upgrading to the latest version.

Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.

Productinfo

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CPE 2.3info

CPE 2.2info

CVSSv4info

VulDB Vector: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv3info

VulDB Meta Base Score: 7.5
VulDB Meta Temp Score: 7.2

VulDB Base Score: 7.5
VulDB Temp Score: 7.2
VulDB Vector: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv2info

AVACAuCIA
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💳💳💳💳💳💳
💳💳💳💳💳💳
VectorComplexityAuthenticationConfidentialityIntegrityAvailability
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VulDB Base Score: 🔒
VulDB Temp Score: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

Exploitinginfo

Class: Memory leak
CWE: CWE-401 / CWE-404
CAPEC: 🔒
ATT&CK: 🔒

Physical: No
Local: No
Remote: Yes

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

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Threat Intelligenceinfo

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

Countermeasuresinfo

Recommended: Upgrade
Status: 🔍

0-Day Time: 🔒

Upgrade: Kernel 6.12.109/6.18.50/7.2.4/7.3-rc1
Patch: 481fff9bda01720c70b19fb260808145a3f21594/34a505071d1ffc5ebf3dc3cd16d2a12b044bcc84/b1596e212ab1739930b25b9d3daf6b5cd307b537/e779df4806cd29cbcca5c9dc0a1073662c76b889

Timelineinfo

08/26/2026 CVE reserved
09/11/2026 +16 days Advisory disclosed
09/11/2026 +0 days VulDB entry created
09/11/2026 +0 days VulDB entry last update

Sourcesinfo

Vendor: kernel.org

Advisory: git.kernel.org
Status: Confirmed

CVE: CVE-2026-80940 (🔒)
GCVE (CVE): GCVE-0-2026-80940
GCVE (VulDB): GCVE-100-402651

Entryinfo

Created: 09/11/2026 23:21
Changes: 09/11/2026 23:21 (59)
Complete: 🔍
Cache ID: 216::103

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