LiveActive security incident?Get immediate response
CVE Record

CVE-2026-46166: wifi: mac80211: use safe list iteration in radar detect work

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: mac80211: use safe list iteration in radar detect work The call to ieee80211_dfs_cac_cancel can cause the iterated chanctx to be freed and removed from the list. Guard against this to avoid a slab-use-after-free error.

HighCVSS 8.8Not KEV-listedUpdated
Discuss exposureBack to CVEs
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This is a Linux kernel Wi-Fi flaw in mac80211 radar detection handling. A specific cleanup path can free an object while code is still iterating over it, creating a slab use-after-free. The CVSS score is high, but the attack vector is adjacent network, so exposure is concentrated on systems using affected Wi-Fi kernel functionality.

Executive priority

Prioritize patching Wi-Fi-enabled Linux endpoints, appliances, and wireless infrastructure running affected kernels. The issue is high severity but appears proximity-limited, so treat it as urgent for wireless-exposed assets rather than a broad internet-facing emergency.

Technical view

CVE-2026-46166 fixes unsafe list iteration in mac80211 radar detect work. Calling ieee80211_dfs_cac_cancel can free and remove the current channel context, so iteration must be safe to avoid slab-use-after-free. The source lists CWE-825, CVSS 3.1 score 8.8, AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

Likely exposure

Most relevant to Linux systems running affected kernels with Wi-Fi/mac80211 and DFS radar detection paths enabled. Internet-only servers without Wi-Fi hardware or relevant kernel usage are less likely exposed, but kernel package status should be verified against vendor advisories.

Exploitation context

The bundle does not cite active exploitation, and KEV is false. CVSS marks exploitation as adjacent network, low complexity, no privileges, and no user interaction. No public exploit details are provided in the supplied sources.

Researcher notes

Evidence supports a kernel use-after-free in mac80211 radar detect work caused by mutation during channel-context list iteration. The source bundle does not identify a proof of concept, active exploitation, or non-patch workaround. Product-specific impact depends on kernel branch and vendor backport status.

Mitigation direction

  • Apply Linux kernel updates from the relevant vendor channel.
  • Review Red Hat errata if using affected Red Hat products.
  • Track the referenced stable kernel commits for upstream-fixed branches.
  • Check vendor guidance before relying on configuration-only mitigations.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Linux kernel versions across Wi-Fi-capable systems.
  • Confirm whether mac80211-based Wi-Fi functionality is present and active.
  • Compare installed kernel packages with vendor fixed advisories.
  • Verify patched kernels include the referenced stable commits.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
12

Public sources used

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

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.

cwe · low confidence lookup

CWE-825: Exact CWE lookup

Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.

Open ATT&CK lookup
cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2026-46166 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

Open ATT&CK lookup
Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
High
CVSS
8.8 (3.1)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

2CVSS vectors
5Timeline events
1ADP providers
12Source links

CVSS vector scores

2 official scores

We collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
8.8CVSS 3.1HighCVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H2.85.9Linux
7CVSS 3.1HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H15.9redhat-SADP

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

8.8High
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2026-46166Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone

Vulnerability timeline

Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.

  1. CVE reservedCVE Program

    The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.

  2. ADP timelineredhat-SADP

    Reported to Red Hat.

  3. ADP timelineredhat-SADP

    Made public.

  4. CVE publishedCVE Program

    The CVE record was published.

  5. CVE updatedCVE Program

    The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.

ADP provider summaries

redhat-SADPkernel: wifi: mac80211: use safe list iteration in radar detect work
other:Red Hat severity ratingcvssV3_1
  • 2026-05-28T00:00:00.000Z: Reported to Red Hat.
  • 2026-05-28T00:00:00.000Z: Made public.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinuxbca8bc0399ac2efd56e6adbed0307e10125a556c, bca8bc0399ac2efd56e6adbed0307e10125a556c, bca8bc0399ac2efd56e6adbed0307e10125a556c, bca8bc0399ac2efd56e6adbed0307e10125a556cunaffected
LinuxLinux6.12, 0, 6.12.88, 6.18.30, 7.0.7, 7.1affected
Weakness

CWE details

CWE-825

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.

CWE-825 · source CWE mapping

Expired Pointer Dereference

Expired Pointer Dereference represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.

Open CWE intelligenceSame-CWE CVEs