CVE-2009-3280: Integer signedness error in the find_ie function in net/wireless/scan.c in the cfg80211 subsystem in the Li...

Security readout for executives and security teams

This is an old Linux kernel wireless bug that can make an affected system hang in a soft lockup when it receives malformed wireless packets. The sources describe denial of service, not data theft or code execution. Business urgency depends on whether legacy kernels before 2.6.31.1-rc1 are still present on Wi-Fi-capable devices. Exposure is most plausible on legacy Linux systems running kernels before 2.6.31.1-rc1 with cfg80211 wireless functionality. Server-only systems without wireless interfaces are less likely to be affected, but embedded, laptop, and appliance environments may retain older kernels. Prioritize this when legacy Linux wireless devices remain in production, especially embedded or unmanaged assets. It is not presented as a breach-enabling issue, but denial of service can still disrupt operations where affected devices provide business-critical connectivity. Mitigation focus: Update to a vendor-supported kernel containing the cfg80211 find_ie fix.; Check vendor advisories for backported fixes in maintained distribution kernels.; Retire or isolate Wi-Fi-capable devices running unsupported Linux 2.6 kernels..

Prepared

Jun 28, 2026, 18:15 UTC (UTC+00:00)

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.