MediumCVE-2026-98887

    Linux Kernel: security vulnerability (CVE-2026-98887)

    Published Last modified Sources: Msrc Update Guide, CVE.org, BSI

    What is affected, what to do

    In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: mac80211_hwsim: reject undersized HWSIM_ATTR_TX_INFO hwsim_tx_info_frame_received_nl() casts the HWSIM_ATTR_TX_INFO payload to a struct hwsim_tx_rate * and unconditionally reads IEEE80211_TX_MAX_RATES entries (8 bytes) from it. The policy only bounds the attribute from above (NLA_BINARY .len is a maximum) and the op sets GENL_DONT_VALIDATE_STRICT, so a short or zero-length attribute is accepted and the loop reads past the payload.

    Update Linux Kernel to version 5.10.271, Linux Kernel to version 5.15.222, Linux Kernel to version 6.1.189.

    Affected
    • Linux Kernel lt 5.7..5.10.271
    • Linux Kernel lt 5.11..5.15.222
    • Linux Kernel lt 5.16..6.1.189
    • Linux Kernel lt 6.2..6.6.158
    • Linux Kernel lt 6.7..6.12.111
    • Linux Kernel lt 6.13..6.18.53
    • Linux Kernel lt 6.19..7.2
    Fixed in
    • Linux Kernel 5.10.271
    • Linux Kernel 5.15.222
    • Linux Kernel 6.1.189
    • Linux Kernel 6.6.158
    • Linux Kernel 6.12.111
    • Linux Kernel 6.18.53
    • Linux Kernel 7.2

    Not sure whether and how you are affected? Ask a question about this vulnerability

    Metrics

    5.5

    Priority

    XIEM Effective CVSS: highest available CVSS rating from NVD and vendor data.

    Source: Vendor (CNA), CVSS v3

    5.5

    CVSS v3

    Severity Medium on the scale from 0 to 10.

    Source: Msrc Update Guide, CVE.org, BSI

    0.2 %

    EPSS score

    Low — model estimates < 1% exploitation likelihood.

    Source: FIRST EPSS, percentile 11.6

    Show all metrics
    Severity
    Medium
    Priority (0–325)

    The priority score is a consolidated metric that condenses several individual signals into a single, action-guiding ranking: technical severity (CVSS), exploitation likelihood (EPSS), known-exploited status (KEV) and the context of the affected asset. The aim is to answer the only truly important question in vulnerability management: what first?

    Read in glossary
    58.58 Methodology
    Exploit maturity

    An exploit is code or a technique that specifically uses a concrete vulnerability to force unintended behaviour — such as executing code or escalating privileges. It is the tool that turns a theoretical flaw into a practical attack.

    Read in glossary
    no public PoC known
    XIEM Effective CVSS

    XIEM® is the tiered managed-security operating model from NEOSEC and a registered trademark of NEOSEC GmbH. It extends classic SIEM — the central collection, normalisation and correlation of security-relevant events — with endpoint forensics, network visibility and deception technology, and consolidates them into three building tiers: Sentry, Orchestrate and Command.

    Read in glossary
    5.5 Methodology
    CVSS v3

    CVSS is the globally established, open standard for assessing the technical severity of a vulnerability on a scale from 0 to 10. It describes how easily a flaw can be exploited and what damage it can cause — but not how likely its actual exploitation is. CVSS and the complementary EPSS deliberately answer different questions.

    Read in glossary
    5.5
    EPSS score

    The EPSS score is the absolute model output for an individual vulnerability: the estimated probability of real-world exploitation within the next 30 days, expressed as a value between 0 and 1 (i.e. 0 % to 100 %). A score of 0.42 means „the model estimates a 42 % chance of real-world exploitation within 30 days“.

    Read in glossary
    0.2 %
    Low — model estimates < 1% exploitation likelihood.
    EPSS percentile

    The EPSS percentile is the relative position of a vulnerability within all EPSS-scored CVEs, expressed as a value between 0 and 1. A percentile of 0.90 means „this CVE has a higher EPSS score than 90 % of all other scored CVEs“. Unlike the EPSS score, it is not a probability — but a positioning within a ranking.

    Read in glossary
    11.6
    Elevated — this CVE ranks above at least 10% of all CVEs scored today.
    KEV status

    The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.

    Read in glossary
    —
    Published

    Detection rules

    No NEOSEC detection rule is available for this vulnerability yet.

    Classification under NIS2 and CRA

    Rule-based classification from exploitation status and severity. It does not replace a case-by-case assessment.

    NIS2

    NIS2 is EU Directive (EU) 2022/2555 to raise the level of cybersecurity across the Union. It substantially broadens obligations compared with the first NIS directive: more sectors, mandatory risk management, staged reporting duties and personal accountability of senior management.

    Read in glossary
    Handle the vulnerability in regular vulnerability handling under Art. 21(2)(e) NIS2.
    CRA

    The CRA is EU Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 setting horizontal cybersecurity requirements for „products with digital elements“ — from industrial controllers and software to connected consumer devices. For the first time manufacturers must ensure security across the entire product lifecycle, handle vulnerabilities and provide security updates.

    Read in glossary
    From 11.12.2027, Annex I Part II CRA requires manufacturers of affected products with digital elements to handle vulnerabilities without delay and provide security updates.
    ISO/IEC 27001

    ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally leading standard for an information security management system (ISMS). It describes a risk-based, process-oriented framework to systematically plan, implement, review and improve information security.

    Read in glossary
    Control A.8.8, management of technical vulnerabilities: assess relevance to your systems, plan remediation and keep evidence.

    Description

    In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: mac80211_hwsim: reject undersized HWSIM_ATTR_TX_INFO hwsim_tx_info_frame_received_nl() casts the HWSIM_ATTR_TX_INFO payload to a struct hwsim_tx_rate * and unconditionally reads IEEE80211_TX_MAX_RATES entries (8 bytes) from it. The policy only bounds the attribute from above (NLA_BINARY .len is a maximum) and the op sets GENL_DONT_VALIDATE_STRICT, so a short or zero-length attribute is accepted and the loop reads past the payload. Require the exact length in the policy, so a malformed attribute is rejected before the handler runs.

    Source: Microsoft Security Update Guide, cvelistv5, NVD (NIST), BSI CSAF, BSI WID Portal

    Affected products

    The following versions are affected. Older releases of the same product line are also vulnerable unless stated otherwise.

    Affected products
    Affected versionsFixed in
    LinuxLinux
    • 6.19 – < 7.2
    • 5.7 – < 5.10.271
    • 5.16 – < 6.1.189
    • 6.13 – < 6.18.53
    • 6.2 – < 6.6.158
    • 6.7 – < 6.12.111
    • 5.11 – < 5.15.222
    • 7.2
    • 5.10.271
    • 6.1.189
    • 6.18.53
    • 6.6.158
    • 6.12.111
    • 5.15.222

    Vendors and products

    References & sources

    Changes to this CVE

    Who changed this CVE and when: NVD (analysis, affected products, CVSS), the CVE publisher (CNA) and additional providers such as CISA (ADP).

    1. ReceivedLinux

      Description added or changed

      Show 9 original changes
      Individual changes of this event as published by NVD
      TypeActionBeforeAfter
      Descriptionadded
      —
      In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: mac80211_hwsim: reject undersized HWSIM_ATTR_TX_INFO hwsim_tx_info_frame_received_nl() casts the HWSIM_ATTR_TX_INFO payload to a struct hwsim_tx_rate * and unconditionally reads IEEE80211_TX_MAX_RATES entries (8 bytes) from it. The policy only bounds the attribute from above (NLA_BINARY .len is a maximum) and the op sets GENL_DONT_VALIDATE_STRICT, so a short or zero-length attribute is accepted and the loop reads past the payload. Require the exact length in the policy, so a malformed attribute is rejected before the handler runs.
      Affected versions (publisher)added
      —
      New affected value received. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/98xxx/CVE-2026-98887.json">CVE-2026-98887</a>
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/13edd8ea7ff2ce6a964b290ef2034cd8cbed96c7
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1ae85bb34fe3510659b86d6a5f8036dd498233f8
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3a96bb65b4b820d8b41fa155781ec1c29e3479d4
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3dc723ac78a6e4fa0fd49e27e487ed319da40a9f
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/59e1f2a0242232b4a3af144ae317d3913fc09046
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6f6368b20f8c9481fa7ba7b672dcb3c9f36b2695
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b5b1234bbfa25537fb9a5c0d62c328ed4547f721

      Source identifier: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

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