Bug 2513479 (CVE-2026-68408)

Summary: CVE-2026-68408 kernel: wifi: cfg80211: convert pmsr_free_wk to wiphy_work to fix deadlock
Product: [Other] Security Response Reporter: OSIDB Bzimport <bzimport>
Component: vulnerabilityAssignee: Product Security <prodsec-ir-bot>
Status: NEW --- QA Contact:
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Priority: low    
Version: unspecifiedCC: rhel-process-autobot, watson-tool-maintainers
Target Milestone: ---Keywords: Security
Target Release: ---   
Hardware: All   
OS: Linux   
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Doc Text:
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's `wifi: cfg80211` component. A local attacker could trigger a system deadlock by performing specific concurrent operations related to wireless interface management. This race condition occurs when a wireless interface is being torn down while a related network session is simultaneously closed, causing the system to become unresponsive. This can lead to a Denial of Service (DoS).
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oVirt Team: --- RHEL 7.3 requirements from Atomic Host:
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Description OSIDB Bzimport 2026-08-10 12:39:39 UTC
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

wifi: cfg80211: convert pmsr_free_wk to wiphy_work to fix deadlock

When a netlink socket that owns a PMSR session is closed,
cfg80211_release_pmsr() clears the request's nl_portid and queues
pmsr_free_wk to call cfg80211_pmsr_process_abort() asynchronously.

If the interface tears down concurrently, cfg80211_pmsr_wdev_down()
is called under wiphy_lock and calls cancel_work_sync(&pmsr_free_wk)
to wait for any running work. The work function acquires wiphy_lock
via guard(wiphy) before calling process_abort.

This is a deadlock: wdev_down holds wiphy_lock and blocks inside
cancel_work_sync(); pmsr_free_wk blocks trying to acquire that same
wiphy_lock. Neither thread can proceed.

The same deadlock is reachable from cfg80211_leave_locked(), which
calls cfg80211_pmsr_wdev_down() for all interface types under
wiphy_lock.

Fix this by converting pmsr_free_wk from a plain work_struct to a
wiphy_work. The wiphy_work dispatcher holds wiphy_lock when running
work items, so the explicit guard(wiphy) in the work function is no
longer needed. wiphy_work_cancel() can be called safely while holding
wiphy_lock - since wiphy_lock prevents the work from running
concurrently, wiphy_work_cancel() never blocks, eliminating the
deadlock.

Remove the cancel_work_sync() for pmsr_free_wk from the
NETDEV_GOING_DOWN handler. cfg80211_leave(), called unconditionally
just before it, already cancels any pending work under wiphy_lock
via wiphy_work_cancel() inside cfg80211_pmsr_wdev_down().

Comment 1 Mauro Matteo Cascella 2026-08-11 07:56:18 UTC
Upstream advisory:
https://lore.kernel.org/linux-cve-announce/2026081049-CVE-2026-68408-1611@gregkh/T