Kernel Vulnerability in Linux Affecting Wi-Fi Modules from Intel

CVE-2026-98348

What is CVE-2026-98348?

A vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel where the libipw module inadequately handles too-short association responses in Wi-Fi communications. In the function libipw_handle_assoc_resp(), the processing of the 30-byte association response can lead to an incorrect computation of the information element length. This flaw allows for a situation where the frame length is misinterpreted, potentially resulting in a buffer overflow and reading past the allocated buffer. Specifically, the function fails to reject frames that do not conform to expected lengths prior to examining fixed fields, making it susceptible to unintended memory access. This issue was identified during an AI-assisted code review and verified through KUnit tests on an emulated environment.

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