CVE-2026-98351: wifi: virt_wifi: free skb when disconnected

Severity: unknown
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.2% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-10-06 · updated 2026-10-19

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: virt_wifi: free skb when disconnected When the simulated link is disconnected, virt_wifi_start_xmit() returns NET_XMIT_DROP without freeing the skb. dev_hard_start_xmit() treats this return value as consumed, so every packet sent while disconnected leaks its skb. Free the skb before returning the drop status.

Affected products

Linux kernel: 5.0 — fixed in 7.3

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 7.3. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/36727a702cf8e3399e3da60d0856378f6afcfb34
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/38d3a5df85345f158f78b478b265ca906224454e
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/46371442847a725cc0df3697fea2eba1dd54b82b
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4f266738af45675faa0e8afee08c6e780afa8b06
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/56469996c10a0240653fc00576b4d33bdfb4cc51
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d177eca79e1106834bc423d3969a4a2e3987996a
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ee053ea35c759135460f03d1c574f4ed08de844a
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f9edf7cf63b96d2b776fca8d258d3c5256e40c8e

Get alerted when CVE-2026-98351 or the next vulnerability affects your stack