Linux Kernel Vulnerability in mac80211_hwsim Component

CVE-2026-98423

What is CVE-2026-98423?

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's mac80211_hwsim component can lead to improper synchronization issues while handling frames. Specifically, the radio can be stopped after checking whether it has started, leading to a potential warning condition if frames are delivered afterward. To mitigate this risk, the code has been updated to expand the mutex around the stopping process and ensure that operations on the radio are synchronized correctly. This adjustment eliminates unnecessary error prints which could complicate the error handling path, primarily triggered by allocation failures and malformed frames.

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