data built 2026-10-19T13:16:53Z

Look up another CVE · open CVE-2026-98340 in the interactive tracker

CVE-2026-98340

wifi: cfg80211: only group hidden BSSes with beacon entries

EPSS 0.2%

Published 2026-10-06 (13 days ago) by the Linux kernel CNA. Subsystem net/wireless. Debian urgency: not yet assigned.

What to do, per Debian release

Debian's own status for CVE-2026-98340 in every release this site tracks, and what each one means in practice. Every status below is the one the Debian Security Team publishes for this CVE. source

ReleaseStatus VersionWhat this means
Debian 12bookwormfixedDLA-4841-1 · 2026-10-17 · text6.1.190-1Update the kernel and reboot. DLA-4841-1 shipped the fix on 2026-10-17, in 6.1.190-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts.
Debian 13trixiefixedDSA-6568-1 · 2026-10-16 · text6.12.113-1Update the kernel and reboot. DSA-6568-1 shipped the fix on 2026-10-16, in 6.12.113-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts.
Debian 14forkyfixed7.2.8-1Update the kernel and reboot. Fixed in 7.2.8-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts.
Debian unstablesidfixed7.2.8-1Update the kernel and reboot. Fixed in 7.2.8-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts.

The vulnerability

What the bug is

When a probe response for an unknown BSS comes in, __cfg80211_bss_update() looks for an existing entry with the same BSSID and a hidden (zero-length or NUL-filled) SSID, and if it finds one it groups them, using the beacon IEs from the existing entry. But that could find another entry without a beacon, if it was also from a probe response (with SSID), so there's a group without beacon elements. If a beacon with a hidden SSID for that BSSID arrives later, cfg80211_combine_bsses() goes looking for the probe response entries that belong to it - i.e. entries with the same BSSID and channel that have no beacon IEs - and finds those two. They are already grouped with each other, so it hits its WARN_ON_ONCE(bss->pub.hidden_beacon_bss) WARN_ON_ONCE(!list_empty(&bss->hidden_list)) which are there because an entry without beacon elements is not supposed to be part of a group yet. Only combine entries when a beacon was already received, ones that are kept separate will be combined when a beacon arrives.

Where it lives

The fix touches these files. If the subsystem is one you do not use, the practical exposure is lower, though the package is still the vulnerable one.

net/wireless/scan.c

What this is
802.11 (including CFG80211/NL80211)MAINTAINERS section matched on net/wireless/ · linux-wireless@vger.kernel.org · Maintained
Kernel module
cfg80211

Check it on the machine

grep -wE 'CONFIG_CFG80211|CONFIG_WIRELESS' /boot/config-$(uname -r)

Reads the booted kernel's own configuration, on the machine and nowhere else. =y is built in, =m is a module, and an is not set line means the code is not there.

lsmod | grep -w cfg80211

Prints a line if that module is loaded right now, and nothing if it is not. One that is not loaded can still be loaded later by anything that needs it.

Show whether Debian builds this, per release

Debian builds this, but not on every flavour. At least one release below builds the code on some of its kernel flavours and not on others, so the answer depends on the architecture and flavour installed.

  • bookwormMnot built on amd64/cloud-amd64, arm64/cloud-arm64
  • trixie, forky, sidMnot built on amd64/cloud-amd64, arm64/cloud-arm64, s390x/s390x
M
a module where it is built at all; some flavours do not build it
Build switches
CONFIG_CFG80211, CONFIG_WIRELESS
Reads as
all on means the file is compiled; any one off means it is not.

From the configuration Debian publishes for every kernel flavour it builds. It covers only the architectures Debian ships a linux-config package for, and nothing about a kernel you built yourself. Debian's own status above stays authoritative about the source package.MAINTAINERS kbuild Makefiles Debian linux-config packages

Signals

Published
2026-10-06 (13 days ago)source
CVSS
no vector published, unrated
Attack vector
not published
EPSS
0.18%, higher than 7.5% of all CVEssource
CISA KEV
not listedthe KEV catalogue
Debian urgency
not yet assignedsource
Subsystem
net/wireless

Upstream fixes

The versions the CNA records as introducing and fixing this, and the commit for each. source

IntroducedFixed inCommit
3.95.10.2714cd6a518ce75
3.95.15.22274ed0d992f39
3.96.1.1893658093df698
3.96.6.15873365b81630b
3.96.12.1127405dd19bda4
3.96.18.5486235be78809
3.97.2.8332ea1502c46
3.97.3068843ed0902

Debian advisories

AdvisoryDateShipped toDebian
DLA-4841-12026-10-17bookworm 6.1.190-1tracker
DSA-6568-12026-10-16trixie 6.12.113-1tracker

Why the CNA scored it this way

The kernel CNA published no CVSS vector and no reasoning for CVE-2026-98340, which is why it is shown as unrated rather than given an invented score. 6,405 of the 20,413 CVEs here carry reasoning; this is not one of them.