CVE-2026-23396: wifi: mac80211: fix NULL deref in mesh_matches_local()
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
wifi: mac80211: fix NULL deref in meshmatcheslocal()
meshmatcheslocal() unconditionally dereferences ie->meshconfig to compare mesh configuration parameters. When called from meshrxcsaframe(), the parsed action-frame elements may not contain a Mesh Configuration IE, leaving ie->meshconfig NULL and triggering a kernel NULL pointer dereference.
The other two callers are already safe: - ieee80211meshrxbcnpresp() checks !elems->meshconfig before calling meshmatcheslocal() - meshplinkgetevent() is only reached through meshprocessplinkframe(), which checks !elems->meshconfig, too
meshrxcsaframe() is the only caller that passes raw parsed elements to meshmatcheslocal() without guarding meshconfig. An adjacent attacker can exploit this by sending a crafted CSA action frame that includes a valid Mesh ID IE but omits the Mesh Configuration IE, crashing the kernel.
The captured crash log:
Oops: general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address ... KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000000-0x0000000000000007] Workqueue: eventsunbound cfg80211wiphywork [...] Call Trace: <TASK> ? pfxmeshmatcheslocal (net/mac80211/mesh.c:65) ieee80211meshrxqueuedmgmt (net/mac80211/mesh.c:1686) [...] ieee80211ifacework (net/mac80211/iface.c:1754 net/mac80211/iface.c:1802) [...] cfg80211wiphywork (net/wireless/core.c:426) processonework (net/kernel/workqueue.c:3280) ? assignwork (net/kernel/workqueue.c:1219) workerthread (net/kernel/workqueue.c:3352) ? pfxworkerthread (net/kernel/workqueue.c:3385) kthread (net/kernel/kthread.c:436) [...] retfromforkasm (net/arch/x86/entry/entry64.S:255) </TASK>
This patch adds a NULL check for ie->meshconfig at the top of meshmatcheslocal() to return false early when the Mesh Configuration IE is absent.
Affected Software
Remediation
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2026-23396?
CVE-2026-23396 has been classified with a high severity due to the potential for NULL dereference issues.
How do I fix CVE-2026-23396?
To fix CVE-2026-23396, update your Linux kernel to the latest stable version where this vulnerability has been patched.
What is the impact of CVE-2026-23396?
The impact of CVE-2026-23396 may lead to application crashes or system instability when processing certain mesh configurations.
Which versions of the Linux kernel are affected by CVE-2026-23396?
CVE-2026-23396 affects specific versions of the Linux kernel that include the mac80211 subsystem but exact affected versions should be checked with the latest security advisories.
Is CVE-2026-23396 remotely exploitable?
CVE-2026-23396 is not remotely exploitable as it requires local access to the affected system to trigger the vulnerability.