VulnerabilityPublished 18 Oct 2026Updated 21 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-98703: Linux kernel · wifi: mac80211: minstrel_ht: validate fixed rate index

Source GCVE Database

Authoritative record:CVE-2026-98703

Not known to be exploited · fixed in f8ab6ae1fa360b0191252677f41e781dcb0ffe6e : patch Linux kernel soon.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC

Severity

High

Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 9% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in f8ab6ae1fa360b0191252677f41e781dcb0ffe6e, eebc70f132041b35da9ec74d5d395083125289b2, 43082d604a9937b94ceb2e484403956d0f363324 +2

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 18 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.

ghsa-h4f8-3q7w-49pw

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 24f7580e852b5472b51eea322bb78454df0054b8, < f8ab6ae1fa360b0191252677f41e781dcb0ffe6e	Fixed in f8ab6ae1fa360b0191252677f41e781dcb0ffe6e
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 24f7580e852b5472b51eea322bb78454df0054b8, < eebc70f132041b35da9ec74d5d395083125289b2	Fixed in eebc70f132041b35da9ec74d5d395083125289b2
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 24f7580e852b5472b51eea322bb78454df0054b8, < 43082d604a9937b94ceb2e484403956d0f363324	Fixed in 43082d604a9937b94ceb2e484403956d0f363324
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 24f7580e852b5472b51eea322bb78454df0054b8, < 42aa9feb27b600809414a3c6b0c650bafba542a9	Fixed in 42aa9feb27b600809414a3c6b0c650bafba542a9
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 24f7580e852b5472b51eea322bb78454df0054b8, < 15fb9e3cea55fbc378261ce35a32b0f8828f0000	Fixed in 15fb9e3cea55fbc378261ce35a32b0f8828f0000
LinuxLinux	Affected =3.1	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

A fix is available that validates the fixed_rate_idx value before use, rejecting any invalid values except valid group/rate pairs or U32_MAX. Since the vulnerable interface is only accessible to root via debugfs, restricting root access and unmounting debugfs can mitigate risk. Check the vendor advisory or Linux kernel patch notes for the official fix and apply updates accordingly.

Description

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's mac80211 minstrel_ht component allows out-of-bounds memory access via the fixed_rate_idx debugfs file. This file accepts any u32 value, which can lead to invalid indexing of internal arrays and kernel memory corruption. The debugfs file is only accessible to root users, so this is not a privilege escalation issue but remains a critical kernel memory safety bug.

References

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