GHSA-JXCW-XWWV-R3HM
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2026-09-25 12:31 – Updated: 2026-09-25 15:31In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
mac802154: fix use-after-free of sdata via queued RX frames
The RX softirq producer ieee802154_subif_frame() queues received beacon and MAC-command frames onto local->rx_beacon_list / rx_mac_cmd_list and schedules a process-context worker, storing a raw mac_pkt->sdata (and skb->dev == sdata->dev) with neither a reference nor any locking:
-
the lists have no lock: the softirq producer list_add_tail()s while the mac_wq worker list_del()s, so sibling interfaces on the same phy corrupt the list;
-
the workers dereference the interface after it may have been freed. mac802154_rx_mac_cmd_worker() touches mac_pkt->sdata directly, and mac802154_rx_beacon_worker() -> mac802154_process_beacon() dereferences skb->dev (== sdata->dev). Removing an interface frees its sdata (netdev_priv) while a queued frame still points at it, so a later worker run is a use-after-free.
Reproduced under KASAN by flooding a victim interface with MAC command frames and removing it (the beacon path is the same class via skb->dev):
BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in mac802154_rx_mac_cmd_worker+0x463/0x630 [mac802154] Read of size 4 at addr ffff888002f9ea18 by task kworker/u8:1/31 Workqueue: phy0-mac-cmds mac802154_rx_mac_cmd_worker [mac802154] Call Trace: mac802154_rx_mac_cmd_worker+0x463/0x630 [mac802154] process_one_work+0x611/0xe80 worker_thread+0x52e/0xdc0 kthread+0x30c/0x630 ret_from_fork+0x2fd/0x3e0
Fix both lists together:
-
add local->rx_lock and take it around every list access: the softirq producer (plain spin_lock, softirq context) and the workers and flush (spin_lock_bh, process context);
-
pin the interface for the lifetime of a queued frame with netdev_hold()/netdev_put(), so the worker can safely dereference sdata / skb->dev even while the interface is being removed;
-
dequeue under the lock at the head and loop-drain the whole list in the workers (they previously processed one frame per run and relied on a later enqueue to drain the rest);
-
drop not-yet-started frames of an interface before it is unregistered, from ieee802154_if_remove() (after the RCU grace period) and from the ieee802154_remove_interfaces() loop -- the latter is the whole-phy teardown path, which does not go through ieee802154_if_remove().
An in-flight worker that already dequeued a frame keeps its own netdev reference; unregister_netdevice() then waits it out in netdev_run_todo(), which runs at rtnl_unlock() (rtnl released) and after the interface has been closed, so it does not pin rtnl. A worker blocked in an association TX only delays that one interface's unregister (the usual "waiting for %s to become free"), it does not hold rtnl. netdev_hold() is used for this reason instead of a cancel_work_sync() under rtnl, which would block on the worker's unbounded MLME TX wait via ieee802154_sync_queue().
The mac-command worker additionally skips processing for a stopped interface (ieee802154_sdata_running()), avoiding a needless association response during teardown.
{
"affected": [],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2026-97595"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [],
"github_reviewed": false,
"github_reviewed_at": null,
"nvd_published_at": "2026-09-25T11:17:10Z",
"severity": "HIGH"
},
"details": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nmac802154: fix use-after-free of sdata via queued RX frames\n\nThe RX softirq producer ieee802154_subif_frame() queues received beacon\nand MAC-command frames onto local-\u003erx_beacon_list / rx_mac_cmd_list and\nschedules a process-context worker, storing a raw mac_pkt-\u003esdata (and\nskb-\u003edev == sdata-\u003edev) with neither a reference nor any locking:\n\n - the lists have no lock: the softirq producer list_add_tail()s while the\n mac_wq worker list_del()s, so sibling interfaces on the same phy corrupt\n the list;\n\n - the workers dereference the interface after it may have been freed.\n mac802154_rx_mac_cmd_worker() touches mac_pkt-\u003esdata directly, and\n mac802154_rx_beacon_worker() -\u003e mac802154_process_beacon() dereferences\n skb-\u003edev (== sdata-\u003edev). Removing an interface frees its sdata\n (netdev_priv) while a queued frame still points at it, so a later worker\n run is a use-after-free.\n\nReproduced under KASAN by flooding a victim interface with MAC command\nframes and removing it (the beacon path is the same class via skb-\u003edev):\n\n BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in mac802154_rx_mac_cmd_worker+0x463/0x630 [mac802154]\n Read of size 4 at addr ffff888002f9ea18 by task kworker/u8:1/31\n Workqueue: phy0-mac-cmds mac802154_rx_mac_cmd_worker [mac802154]\n Call Trace:\n mac802154_rx_mac_cmd_worker+0x463/0x630 [mac802154]\n process_one_work+0x611/0xe80\n worker_thread+0x52e/0xdc0\n kthread+0x30c/0x630\n ret_from_fork+0x2fd/0x3e0\n\nFix both lists together:\n\n - add local-\u003erx_lock and take it around every list access: the softirq\n producer (plain spin_lock, softirq context) and the workers and flush\n (spin_lock_bh, process context);\n\n - pin the interface for the lifetime of a queued frame with\n netdev_hold()/netdev_put(), so the worker can safely dereference sdata /\n skb-\u003edev even while the interface is being removed;\n\n - dequeue under the lock at the head and loop-drain the whole list in the\n workers (they previously processed one frame per run and relied on a\n later enqueue to drain the rest);\n\n - drop not-yet-started frames of an interface before it is unregistered,\n from ieee802154_if_remove() (after the RCU grace period) and from the\n ieee802154_remove_interfaces() loop -- the latter is the whole-phy\n teardown path, which does not go through ieee802154_if_remove().\n\nAn in-flight worker that already dequeued a frame keeps its own netdev\nreference; unregister_netdevice() then waits it out in netdev_run_todo(),\nwhich runs at rtnl_unlock() (rtnl released) and after the interface has\nbeen closed, so it does not pin rtnl. A worker blocked in an association\nTX only delays that one interface\u0027s unregister (the usual \"waiting for %s\nto become free\"), it does not hold rtnl. netdev_hold() is used for this\nreason instead of a cancel_work_sync() under rtnl, which would block on\nthe worker\u0027s unbounded MLME TX wait via ieee802154_sync_queue().\n\nThe mac-command worker additionally skips processing for a stopped\ninterface (ieee802154_sdata_running()), avoiding a needless association\nresponse during teardown.",
"id": "GHSA-jxcw-xwwv-r3hm",
"modified": "2026-09-25T15:31:43Z",
"published": "2026-09-25T12:31:26Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-97595"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/07f0214018d7241e3610c1be984c8abfce16c099"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2f37fba846c9fdff5fc15b6d93656057ccd13031"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3d1fde35f95d7f02a7dc473c51d81e8d9e992cfc"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4740ef0518c5e3bf31ebfb2288a6ac3b462ead06"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
]
}
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