CVE-2026-98704

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's mac80211 wireless subsystem. When associating with a wireless network profile that omits certain configuration parameters, the system prematurely frees internal data structures and subsequently reads the freed memory during connection setup. A malicious access point or an attacker within wireless range can exploit this use-after-free condition to cause a Denial of Service (DoS) through a kernel crash or potentially expose sensitive kernel memory.

This vulnerability is rated as Moderate because exploitation requires the target host to actively associate with an untrusted or rogue wireless network within physical radio proximity. Most Red Hat Enterprise Linux deployments function as servers without wireless hardware or drivers enabled, substantially limiting exposure in production environments. Even on systems with active Wi-Fi interfaces, triggering the condition requires specific omitted parameters in an access point profile, leading primarily to a system crash and kernel denial of service.

The CVSS score(s) listed for this vulnerability do not reflect the associated product's status, and are included for informational purposes to better understand the severity of this vulnerability.