VulnerabilityPublished 6 Oct 2026Updated 19 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-98340: Linux kernel · wifi: cfg80211: only group hidden BSSes with beacon entries

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · fixed in 3658093df69849daf4f813a8f087f358e13be203 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC

Severity

Low

Rated Low by Threat Radar's AI analysis · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 7% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 3658093df69849daf4f813a8f087f358e13be203, 86235be788094131912e9bd8412b358d91d99f49, 73365b81630b57e1a1f9d50dc87281797855c2ac +5

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 6 Oct 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 4593c4cbe1c96b3995727dc42f6aa103f4ff5afc, < 3658093df69849daf4f813a8f087f358e13be203	Fixed in 3658093df69849daf4f813a8f087f358e13be203
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 4593c4cbe1c96b3995727dc42f6aa103f4ff5afc, < 86235be788094131912e9bd8412b358d91d99f49	Fixed in 86235be788094131912e9bd8412b358d91d99f49
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 4593c4cbe1c96b3995727dc42f6aa103f4ff5afc, < 73365b81630b57e1a1f9d50dc87281797855c2ac	Fixed in 73365b81630b57e1a1f9d50dc87281797855c2ac
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 4593c4cbe1c96b3995727dc42f6aa103f4ff5afc, < 068843ed0902c552a13860c5ec6b2ca65b57a065	Fixed in 068843ed0902c552a13860c5ec6b2ca65b57a065
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 4593c4cbe1c96b3995727dc42f6aa103f4ff5afc, < 7405dd19bda4537a2843637d8d7bed1efd4776cf	Fixed in 7405dd19bda4537a2843637d8d7bed1efd4776cf
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 4593c4cbe1c96b3995727dc42f6aa103f4ff5afc, < 332ea1502c46f53375cb109fa82bfaff818f3a41	Fixed in 332ea1502c46f53375cb109fa82bfaff818f3a41

AI-suggested

A fix has been implemented and is available in the Linux kernel commits identified by the fixedVersions hashes. Users should update their Linux kernel to a version including these fixes to resolve the issue.

Description

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's wifi cfg80211 subsystem involved improper grouping of hidden BSS entries without beacon elements. This could cause internal warnings due to unexpected grouping behavior when probe responses and beacons are processed. The issue has been resolved by ensuring only entries with beacon information are grouped, preventing the problematic state.

Impact

This vulnerability causes internal kernel warnings (WARN_ON_ONCE) due to improper grouping of wifi BSS entries, which could potentially lead to instability or unexpected behavior in the wifi subsystem. There is no evidence of exploitation in the wild or direct security compromise from the provided data.

Summary

The Linux kernel's cfg80211 component incorrectly grouped hidden BSS entries that lacked beacon information, specifically when probe responses for unknown BSSes arrived. The function __cfg80211_bss_update() could group entries from probe responses without beacon IEs, leading to a state where cfg80211_combine_bsses() encountered WARN_ON_ONCE conditions because entries without beacon elements were not supposed to be grouped yet. The fix ensures that only entries with beacon information are grouped, and others remain separate until a beacon arrives.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 26 Oct 2026, 11:38 UTC

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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