In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: nl80211: check link is beaconing for color change When trying to do a… (CVE-2026-98916)

The vulnerability in the Linux kernel's wifi nl80211 subsystem involved the absence of a validation step when attempting to perform a color change on a wifi link. Specifically, the code did not verify that the link was beaconing before invoking the driver for the color change operation. This could lead to the driver being called with an invalid link state. The issue has been resolved by adding a check to confirm the link is beaconing prior to the color change.

The impact is related to the potential for the wifi driver to be called with an invalid link state, which could cause unexpected behavior or instability in the wifi subsystem. No further details on exploitation or broader impact are provided.

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.