VulnerabilityPublished 23 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-98916: Linux kernel · wifi: nl80211: check link is beaconing for color change

Source GCVE Database

Authoritative record:CVE-2026-98916

Not known to be exploited · fixed in e50965c702cfd41eb83464565f6272d4d4bfc00c : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

Severity

Medium

Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 6% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in e50965c702cfd41eb83464565f6272d4d4bfc00c, dc4713539da73d2d2c03d064b22b0e6ab38bd361, 55308cee9c2196f39cd1ce8ee6c1fed9e12a00d4 +1

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 23 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-36vw-2rf5-jg3c

What to do

Upgrade Linux kernel to e50965c702cfd41eb83464565f6272d4d4bfc00c, dc4713539da73d2d2c03d064b22b0e6ab38bd361, 55308cee9c2196f39cd1ce8ee6c1fed9e12a00d4 or 51423d370739aa3f701fdfbfcc52ecf321dfd71a.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ b4b9f0a32d3106ba4d0bbd07312dc35d1f2152dc, < e50965c702cfd41eb83464565f6272d4d4bfc00c	Fixed in e50965c702cfd41eb83464565f6272d4d4bfc00c
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ b4b9f0a32d3106ba4d0bbd07312dc35d1f2152dc, < dc4713539da73d2d2c03d064b22b0e6ab38bd361	Fixed in dc4713539da73d2d2c03d064b22b0e6ab38bd361
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ b4b9f0a32d3106ba4d0bbd07312dc35d1f2152dc, < 55308cee9c2196f39cd1ce8ee6c1fed9e12a00d4	Fixed in 55308cee9c2196f39cd1ce8ee6c1fed9e12a00d4
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ b4b9f0a32d3106ba4d0bbd07312dc35d1f2152dc, < 51423d370739aa3f701fdfbfcc52ecf321dfd71a	Fixed in 51423d370739aa3f701fdfbfcc52ecf321dfd71a
LinuxLinux	Affected =5.16	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

A fix has been applied to the Linux kernel to add the necessary validation check. Users should update to the patched kernel version once available. No additional mitigation steps are indicated.

Description

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's wifi nl80211 component was resolved by adding a check to ensure the link is beaconing before performing a color change. This prevents the driver from being called with an invalid link state.

References

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