CVE-2026-98311 (CVSS 7.8)

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: virt_wifi: don't transfer operstate before register virt_wifi_newlink() calls netif_stacked_transfer_operstate() before register_netdevice(). If the lower device is dormant, that queues the new netdev on lweventlist while it is still uninitialized. If registration fails after that, for example because of an invalid name such as "bad/name", free_netdev() immediately frees the object. A later linkwatch_fire_event() then use-after-frees the list entry. Move the transfer to after netdev_upper_dev_link(), as macvlan and ipvlan already do.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

7.8

HIGH

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

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0014

Probability of exploitation

0.03%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

References

Other References

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/293c56a66510bb7de073a1aba388e38abddff1fb https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9ce26201f6dedf3fa02b97da8c67ee6f6c5f7225 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b808a9af5fd21f9c68b0d024eda7535b5dce6a4e https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ca49763c42c1089d654bf11b037980a9ede3772c https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e5c8d7acd31b27057ea42cd405d0b3ece097bc89 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e8304e25c6dabb8accf38b807969438d0ce84fd7 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ee9ea1afd6990def51d52b3a0aecd5cfcc951da0 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f9526054c2b2cace5916b7225603d008834ec011

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-98311? +

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: virt_wifi: don't transfer operstate before register virt_wifi_newlink() calls netif_stacked_transfer_operstate() before register_netdevice(). If the lower device is dormant, that queues the new netdev on lweventlist while it is still uninitialized. If registration fails after that, for example because of an invalid name such as "bad/name", free_netdev() immediately frees the object. A later linkwatch_fire_event() then use-after-frees the list entry. Move the transfer to after netdev_upper_dev_link(), as macvlan and ipvlan already do. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2026-98311? +

CVE-2026-98311 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.8 out of 10, rated HIGH. This is a high-severity vulnerability that should be prioritized for patching. The EPSS score is 0.0014, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-98311? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

CVE-2026-98311