From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: AL-KERNEL To: kernel-cve@kernelcve.org Subject: [CVE-2026-68402][MODERATE 7.0] wifi: cfg80211: bound element ID read when checking non-inheritance [ Upstream Date: Mon, 10 Aug 2026 17:08:22 -0400 Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-AL-KERNEL-CVE: CVE-2026-68402 X-AL-KERNEL-Priority: MODERATE 7.0 X-AL-KERNEL-Severity: MODERATE 7.0 X-AL-KERNEL-Base-Severity: MODERATE X-AL-KERNEL-KPANIC: YES X-AL-KERNEL-ActionableScore: 5 X-AL-KERNEL-ActionableScore-Lower: 4 X-AL-KERNEL-Commit: 20c308d9a57722801961f816395bf825f7bde6bc List-Id: CVE: CVE-2026-68402 Priority: MODERATE 7.0 AL-KERNEL base severity: MODERATE KPANIC flag: YES Patch: wifi: cfg80211: bound element ID read when checking non-inheritance [ Upstream Commit: 20c308d9a57722801961f816395bf825f7bde6bc Upstream patch: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git/commit/?id=20c308d9a57722801961f816395bf825f7bde6bc Original CVE announcement: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-cve-announce/?q=CVE-2026-68402 Analysis date: Mon, 10 Aug 2026 17:08:22 -0400 ActionableScore: 5 ActionableScore lower bound: 4 Actionable bucket: Actionable Moderate at minimum Manual review required: YES Summary: A nearby malicious AP can trigger a one-byte slab out-of-bounds read in cfg80211 non-inheritance element parsing by sending a zero-length WLAN_EID_EXTENSION element, causing at least a potential kernel DoS and limited paranoid confidentiality concern without evidence of privilege escalation. ====================================================================== ABOUT THIS REPORT ====================================================================== The original Linux kernel CVE announcement for CVE-2026-68402 is available here: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-cve-announce/?q=CVE-2026-68402 The original announcement does not normally provide a security severity estimate, CVSS assessment, or enough information to determine whether the reported kernel bug represents a practically relevant security issue. This report was generated by AL-KERNEL, an AI-assisted Linux kernel vulnerability analysis system developed by Alexander Larkin. It combines an autonomous classifier with LLM-assisted technical analysis and a separate ActionableScore mechanism. The purpose of this report is to prioritize Linux kernel CVEs before manual review, identify cases that require prompt investigation, and support automatic closure of issues that are unlikely to have meaningful security impact. Published priority for this report: MODERATE 7.0 Manual review required: YES A detailed explanation of the methodology and priority rules is included at the end of this message. ====================================================================== AL-KERNEL CLASSIFICATION RESULT ====================================================================== CVE-2026-68402 MODERATE CHECK WITH IMPACT FROM ORIG NN MODERATE Maybe valid. Check manually. Hints by AL-KERNEL: The best (paranoid) CVSS is 'AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:H';CWE-125;*CWE-20;CWE-754;Other CVSS 'AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L';BEST CVSS score: '7.1';DESCR 'A one byte slab out-of-bounds read in cfg80211_is_element_inherited() can occur when a zero length WLAN_EID_EXTENSION element is parsed while a non inheritance context is active. A nearby malicious AP or rogue AP can trigger the bug with a crafted 802.11 management frame during element parsing for cases such as Multi-Link per STA profiles or non transmitted BSS profiles. For the CVSS the PR:N is used because the attacker does not need local privileges on the victim and only needs wireless adjacency to the target device. The vector is adjacent network rather than full network because the trigger requires Wi-Fi radio proximity. Impact is at least denial of service in debug or hardened configurations where the out-of-bounds read is detected. The worst still defensible interpretation treats the invalid kernel read as limited confidentiality exposure plus possible high availability impact, but there is no clear write primitive or UAF path for privilege escalation.';YES REQUIRES MANUAL CHECK; ,and ActionableScore result is Actionable Moderate at minimum (with actual score 5) YES REMOTE READ KASAN OOB TEST KPANIC INCREASED_TO_MODERATE7_FROM_MODERATE_BASED_ON_GUESSCVSS YES NO checked ====================================================================== ACTIONABLESCORE ANALYSIS ====================================================================== ## 1. ActionableScore ActionableScore=5 ActionableScoreLower=4 * Conservative score: 4 * Paranoid score: 5 * Final recommended bucket: **Actionable Moderate at minimum**:: ## 2. Signal breakdown Conservative signals: * Remote or network-triggerable adjacent path: +2 A crafted 802.11 management frame from a nearby malicious AP or rogue AP can reach the parser. This is AV:A style wireless adjacency, not Internet remote reachability. * Broad or common subsystem exposure: +1 cfg80211 element parsing is part of a common Wi-Fi kernel subsystem used by ordinary wireless clients. * Availability impact realistic: +1 The reported KASAN failure is a slab out-of-bounds read in kernel parsing code. On hardened or debug kernels this can cause a kernel crash or warning-driven DoS. Paranoid additional signal: * Confidentiality impact plausible: +1 The primitive is only a one-byte read beyond the element, with no demonstrated disclosure channel, but it is still a kernel OOB read in a remotely influenced parser. This supports only limited confidentiality concern, not integrity or privilege escalation. Not awarded: * No generic strong memory corruption bonus. The patch shows a bounded one-byte OOB read, not OOB write, UAF, double free, type confusion, or arbitrary write. * No privilege escalation bonus. There is no reclaim, overwrite, callback control, refcount abuse, or object replacement primitive. * No Dirty-Pipe-like or page-cache corruption signal. * No local high-control API signal. ## 3. Reachability analysis The likely attacker is a nearby malicious AP or rogue AP able to send crafted Wi-Fi management frames that are parsed by the victim wireless stack. No local user account or victim-side privileges are required, so the practical PR is none, but the attacker needs wireless proximity and a frame path that creates a non-inheritance context, such as Multi-Link per STA profiles or non-transmitted BSS profiles. Namespaces and containers do not materially affect reachability because the trigger is external wireless frame parsing in the host Wi-Fi stack. The affected subsystem is common on Wi-Fi enabled systems, but the exact trigger depends on modern 802.11 element parsing paths and AP-controlled frame content. Call-site confidence: medium-high. The commit describes the relevant parser call path, but only the one-line fix is provided. ## 4. Severity interpretation This behaves more like an actionable Moderate than an Important vulnerability. The realistic primitive is a one-byte slab OOB read with likely DoS impact on debug or hardened builds and possible limited confidentiality concern in the paranoid interpretation. Theoretical memory-corruption potential is limited because there is no write, UAF, stale pointer, double free, or object confusion. Realistic exploitation evidence supports wireless-adjacent triggering and kernel parser exposure, but not privilege escalation. ## 5. One-sentence report phrase A nearby malicious AP can trigger a one-byte slab out-of-bounds read in cfg80211 non-inheritance element parsing by sending a zero-length WLAN_EID_EXTENSION element, causing at least a potential kernel DoS and limited paranoid confidentiality concern without evidence of privilege escalation. ## 6. Manual review recommendation MANUAL CHECK REQUIRED Reason: wireless-adjacent kernel frame parsing plus an OOB read should not be auto-closed, even though the demonstrated primitive is limited and does not currently justify Important-class treatment. ====================================================================== UPSTREAM PATCH SUMMARY ====================================================================== Patch: wifi: cfg80211: bound element ID read when checking non-inheritance [ Upstream Commit: 20c308d9a57722801961f816395bf825f7bde6bc Upstream URL: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git/commit/?id=20c308d9a57722801961f816395bf825f7bde6bc Changed files: net/wireless/scan.c Diff excerpt: Not included in this email. See the upstream URL for the full patch. Full patch: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git/commit/?id=20c308d9a57722801961f816395bf825f7bde6bc ====================================================================== DETAILED REPORT METHODOLOGY ====================================================================== The original Linux kernel CVE announcement for CVE-2026-68402 can be found here: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-cve-announce/?q=CVE-2026-68402 The original CVE announcement normally does not include a security-level estimate. In particular, it may not contain a CVSS assessment, an impact level, or enough information to determine whether the reported bug is a practically relevant security issue. One purpose of this parallel CVE list is to provide that missing technical and prioritization information. The original goal of the AL-KERNEL project was to prioritize Linux kernel CVE analysis automatically before manual review. The system can also help identify non-security issues that may be suitable for automatic closure. This report was generated by AL-KERNEL, an AI-assisted Linux kernel vulnerability analysis system developed by Alexander Larkin. The first analysis stage combines an autonomous classifier with additional LLM-based analysis. The autonomous classifier runs locally on a CPU and is based on a backpropagation neural network. Together, these mechanisms produce a technical vulnerability description, identify likely weakness types, estimate CVSS severity, and provide input for ActionableScore. Two CVSS estimates are retained because incomplete kernel vulnerability information often permits more than one defensible interpretation: Conservative CVSS vector: AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L The Best / paranoid CVSS vector: AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:H The Best / paranoid CVSS score: 7.1 The conservative vector represents a lower-impact interpretation. The Best/paranoid vector intentionally represents a plausible upper-bound interpretation and should not automatically be treated as demonstrated real-world impact. CVSS may also need to be adjusted for a particular Linux deployment, because actual reachability, privileges, enabled kernel configuration, hardware, namespaces, exposed device nodes, and other environmental conditions can differ significantly between systems. A separate ActionableScore mechanism evaluates practical remediation urgency. Its analysis may include reachability, attack prerequisites, subsystem exposure, memory-corruption characteristics, denial-of-service reliability, and possible confidentiality, integrity, or privilege-escalation impact. Conservative ActionableScore: 4 Paranoid ActionableScore: 5 The final base severity is taken directly from the second tab-separated field of the AL-KERNEL classification result. ActionableScore does not replace or independently override that final AL-KERNEL decision, and if ActionableScore adjusted impact level of ALKERNEL, then you would see self-readable flags above like INCREASED_TO_HIGH_BASED_ON_ACTIONABLESCOREHIGHEREQTHAN7. For an AL-KERNEL result of MODERATE, this report uses the following additional presentation split: ActionableScore below 5 -> MODERATE REGULAR ActionableScore 5 or more -> MODERATE 7.0 The distinction between MODERATE REGULAR and MODERATE 7.0 makes it possible to identify Moderate issues that should receive manual analysis and fixes before lower-priority MODERATE REGULAR issues. In many cases, MODERATE REGULAR fixes may wait for a later rebase or routine update. There is one override in which MODERATE REGULAR becomes MODERATE 7.0 even when the ActionableScore is below 5. When the AL-KERNEL result contains the KPANIC flag, a MODERATE result is always presented as MODERATE 7.0. The KPANIC flag selected with few regexps without usage of AI at all, so it helps to detect cases when Kernel Crash happens and similar (to filter False-Negative results from the LLM usage). KPANIC indicates that a reliable kernel crash, kernel panic, or similarly serious kernel availability impact was identified by the classification workflow. AL-KERNEL base severity for this report: MODERATE KPANIC detected for this report: YES Published priority for this report (same as in Subject): MODERATE 7.0 These results are intended to support engineering triage. They are machine-generated estimates, and cases marked for manual review should be validated by a human security engineer before final disposition. For more info read docs linked from here: https://kernelcve.org/ (and you can submit you own patch there to generate such a report for non-existant CVE-id yet). Note that in many cases this AI tool selects higher severity, than real is (means you can expect Importants instead of Moderate 7.0 or Moderates 7.0 instead of regular Moderates). If you see such cases, please use reply email interface to add additional manual analyses info to this particular CVE. And please, please, let me know when you see Lows instead of Importants or Important instead of Low (because particular for such cases I need to tune this AI tool to make it better for this one and next similar). My contact email for such notifications is alexanjelausa@gmail.com (and both send reply to CVE record itself too and see "reply" button below for howto reply).