Linux Kernel up to 7.2.7/7.3-rc3 mac80211 ieee80211_mesh_preq_size_ok out-of-bounds

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 7.2.7/7.3-rc3. It has been classified as critical. This affects the function ieee80211_mesh_preq_size_ok of the component mac80211. The manipulation leads to out-of-bounds. This vulnerability is referenced as CVE-2026-98183. Remote exploitation of the attack is possible. No exploit is available. Upgrading the affected component is recommended.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 7.2.7/7.3-rc3. It has been rated as critical. This issue affects the function ieee80211_mesh_preq_size_ok of the component mac80211. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a out-of-bounds vulnerability. Using CWE to declare the problem leads to CWE-125. The product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer. Impacted is confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: mac80211: avoid out-of-bounds read for empty PREQ elements ieee80211_mesh_preq_size_ok() derives the location of the PREQ bottom fields before checking whether the element contains even the fixed header. ieee80211_mesh_hwmp_preq_get_bottom() reads the flags byte to account for the optional Address Extension field. Consequently, an empty PREQ element causes a one-byte read beyond its declared payload. Move the helper call after both size checks, so the bottom fields are only accessed when they are present.

The advisory is shared at git.kernel.org. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-2026-98183 since 09/25/2026. The exploitation is known to be easy. The attack may be initiated remotely. No form of authentication is needed for a successful exploitation. Technical details are known, but no exploit is available. The price for an exploit might be around USD $0-$5k at the moment (estimation calculated on 10/06/2026).

Upgrading to version 7.2.8 or 7.3-rc4 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch 3beddbd56946577478fd5e649f556aaaebe15b0a/e6031f02269c0f51cf67886d177f02bc300b47cd is able to eliminate this problem. The best possible mitigation is suggested to be upgrading to the latest version.

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Productinfo

Type

• Operating System

Vendor

• Linux

Name

• Kernel

Version

• 7.2.0
• 7.2.1
• 7.2.2
• 7.2.3
• 7.2.4
• 7.2.5
• 7.2.6
• 7.2.7
• 7.3-rc1
• 7.3-rc2
• 7.3-rc3

License

• open-source

Website

• Vendor: https://www.kernel.org/

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