{"id":"CVE-2026-93796","state":"PUBLISHED","title":"wifi: iwlwifi: pcie: null RX pointers after free","description":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nwifi: iwlwifi: pcie: null RX pointers after free\n\nWhen iwl_pcie_tx_init() fails after RX init, nic init unwinds via\niwl_pcie_rx_free().\n\nThe freed RX members stayed non-NULL on the live transport object,\nso later teardown or retry could touch stale RX state.\nSet rx_pool, global_table, rxq, and alloc_page to NULL after free\nto make repeated cleanup and retry paths safe.","publishedAt":"2026-09-24T16:02:29.478Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-30T12:36:47.103Z","severity":{"score":7,"label":"High","version":"3.1","vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","source":"Linux"},"assigner":"Linux","products":["Linux Linux"],"affected":[{"vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","defaultStatus":"unaffected","versions":[{"version":"9cf671d60fdbeb8f875859c11148cf13c326ada2","status":"affected","lessThan":"847103369489110a222482c7781e0fe62cdbd3d5","versionType":"git"},{"version":"9cf671d60fdbeb8f875859c11148cf13c326ada2","status":"affected","lessThan":"c422d5d53f135ea987f745773953a91f9fe30c3f","versionType":"git"},{"version":"9cf671d60fdbeb8f875859c11148cf13c326ada2","status":"affected","lessThan":"6ec5bf430cf7466cb412e47f2761594092781fac","versionType":"git"},{"version":"9cf671d60fdbeb8f875859c11148cf13c326ada2","status":"affected","lessThan":"3456c5bcc987aeb182e50e30c9b02be8420e9953","versionType":"git"},{"version":"9cf671d60fdbeb8f875859c11148cf13c326ada2","status":"affected","lessThan":"2c79d7a7b583050c9f58041465cb46fe3483ab5d","versionType":"git"}],"repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["drivers/net/wireless/intel/iwlwifi/pcie/gen1_2/rx.c"]},{"vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","defaultStatus":"affected","versions":[{"version":"5.12","status":"affected"},{"version":"0","status":"unaffected","lessThan":"5.12","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.1.191","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"6.1.*","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.6.160","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"6.6.*","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.12.111","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"6.12.*","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.18.53","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"6.18.*","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"7.2","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"*","versionType":"original_commit_for_fix"}],"repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["drivers/net/wireless/intel/iwlwifi/pcie/gen1_2/rx.c"]}],"references":["https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/847103369489110a222482c7781e0fe62cdbd3d5","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c422d5d53f135ea987f745773953a91f9fe30c3f","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6ec5bf430cf7466cb412e47f2761594092781fac","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3456c5bcc987aeb182e50e30c9b02be8420e9953","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2c79d7a7b583050c9f58041465cb46fe3483ab5d"],"weaknesses":[],"ingestedAt":"2026-10-30T12:56:04.490Z","source":{"repository":"CVEProject/cvelistV5","path":"cves/2026/93xxx/CVE-2026-93796.json","commit":"1f312381e38164a43607eebab851b151dd16861e","baselineCommit":"556c9d3a8cd17e218bb8e452ba7cd619a384ff47"},"raw":{"dataType":"CVE_RECORD","dataVersion":"5.2","cveMetadata":{"cveId":"CVE-2026-93796","state":"PUBLISHED","datePublished":"2026-09-24T16:02:29.478Z","dateUpdated":"2026-10-30T12:36:47.103Z","assignerShortName":"Linux","assignerOrgId":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","dateReserved":"2026-09-18T17:59:28.789Z"},"containers":{"cna":{"title":"wifi: iwlwifi: pcie: null RX pointers after free","descriptions":[{"lang":"en","value":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nwifi: iwlwifi: pcie: null RX pointers after free\n\nWhen iwl_pcie_tx_init() fails after RX init, nic init unwinds via\niwl_pcie_rx_free().\n\nThe freed RX members stayed non-NULL on the live transport object,\nso later teardown or retry could touch stale RX state.\nSet rx_pool, global_table, rxq, and alloc_page to NULL after free\nto make repeated cleanup and retry paths safe."}],"affected":[{"vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","defaultStatus":"unaffected","versions":[{"version":"9cf671d60fdbeb8f875859c11148cf13c326ada2","status":"affected","lessThan":"847103369489110a222482c7781e0fe62cdbd3d5","versionType":"git"},{"version":"9cf671d60fdbeb8f875859c11148cf13c326ada2","status":"affected","lessThan":"c422d5d53f135ea987f745773953a91f9fe30c3f","versionType":"git"},{"version":"9cf671d60fdbeb8f875859c11148cf13c326ada2","status":"affected","lessThan":"6ec5bf430cf7466cb412e47f2761594092781fac","versionType":"git"},{"version":"9cf671d60fdbeb8f875859c11148cf13c326ada2","status":"affected","lessThan":"3456c5bcc987aeb182e50e30c9b02be8420e9953","versionType":"git"},{"version":"9cf671d60fdbeb8f875859c11148cf13c326ada2","status":"affected","lessThan":"2c79d7a7b583050c9f58041465cb46fe3483ab5d","versionType":"git"}],"repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["drivers/net/wireless/intel/iwlwifi/pcie/gen1_2/rx.c"]},{"vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","defaultStatus":"affected","versions":[{"version":"5.12","status":"affected"},{"version":"0","status":"unaffected","lessThan":"5.12","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.1.191","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"6.1.*","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.6.160","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"6.6.*","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.12.111","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"6.12.*","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.18.53","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"6.18.*","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"7.2","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"*","versionType":"original_commit_for_fix"}],"repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["drivers/net/wireless/intel/iwlwifi/pcie/gen1_2/rx.c"]}],"references":[{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/847103369489110a222482c7781e0fe62cdbd3d5"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c422d5d53f135ea987f745773953a91f9fe30c3f"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6ec5bf430cf7466cb412e47f2761594092781fac"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3456c5bcc987aeb182e50e30c9b02be8420e9953"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2c79d7a7b583050c9f58041465cb46fe3483ab5d"}],"metrics":[{"cvssV3_1":{"version":"3.1","vectorString":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","baseScore":7,"baseSeverity":"HIGH"},"scenarios":[{"lang":"en","value":"AV:L - The dangling pointers are created in iwl_pcie_rx_free() when iwl_pcie_nic_init() unwinds a failed iwl_pcie_tx_init() after iwl_pcie_rx_init(). That runs from iwl_trans_pcie_start_fw() during iwl_mvm_start_get_nvm()/iwl_mvm_up() (PCI firmware callback or mac80211 drv_start), not from iwl_pcie_rx_handle() or any 802.11 frame parse.\nAC:H - iwl_pcie_nic_init() only calls iwl_pcie_rx_free() when iwl_pcie_tx_init() fails after a successful iwl_pcie_rx_init(). Reachable failures are ENOMEM in iwl_pcie_tx_alloc() or a non-power-of-two slots_num in iwl_queue_init(); the attacker cannot make RX allocation succeed and the subsequent TX allocation fail on demand.\nPR:L - iwl_op_mode_mvm_start() calls iwl_mvm_start_get_nvm() → iwl_run_init_mvm_ucode() → iwl_trans_start_fw() with no capable() check from iwl_req_fw_callback after PCI bind. A local unprivileged process on a host with iwlwifi is sufficient; init-namespace CAP_NET_ADMIN is not required to reach this unwind.\nUI:N - After iwl_pcie_rx_free() in the nic_init unwind, iwl_mvm_start_get_nvm() always calls iwl_mvm_stop_device() (and iwl_run_init_ucode() always calls iwl_trans_stop_device()), so iwl_pcie_rx_napi_sync() uses the stale rxq with no victim mount, file open, or association.\nS:U - The UAF and double-free of trans_pcie->rxq, rx_pool, global_table, and alloc_page stay inside the host iwlwifi PCIe transport on the same kernel authority; this is not a KVM/Xen guest-to-host escape or an IOMMU/DMA bypass.\nC:H - iwl_pcie_rx_free() kfree()s rxq/rx_pool/global_table and __free_pages()s alloc_page without NULL, then iwl_pcie_rx_napi_sync() and _iwl_pcie_rx_init() dereference those freed objects; UAF of those slabs/pages enables arbitrary kernel read.\nI:H - _iwl_pcie_rx_init() writes the dangling rxq/rx_pool/global_table (list restock, netif_napi_add), and a later iwl_pcie_rx_free() from iwl_trans_pcie_free() double-frees the same kmalloc objects, giving a heap write/control-flow primitive.\nA:H - iwl_pcie_rx_napi_sync() walking a kfree'd rxq, or a second iwl_pcie_rx_free() of the same pointers from iwl_trans_pcie_free(), is a kernel oops or panic."}]}],"providerMetadata":{"shortName":"Linux","orgId":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","dateUpdated":"2026-10-30T12:36:47.103Z"},"cpeApplicability":[{"nodes":[{"operator":"OR","negate":false,"cpeMatch":[{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"5.12","versionEndExcluding":"6.1.191"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"5.12","versionEndExcluding":"6.6.160"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"5.12","versionEndExcluding":"6.12.111"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"5.12","versionEndExcluding":"6.18.53"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"5.12","versionEndExcluding":"7.2"}]}]}],"x_generator":{"engine":"bippy-1.2.0"}}}}}