CVE-2026-72005 (GCVE-0-2026-72005)
Vulnerability from cvelistv5
Published
2026-08-15 05:51
Modified
2026-08-17 05:39
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: rt2x00: avoid full teardown before work setup in probe rt2x00lib_probe_dev() uses the full rt2x00lib_remove_dev() teardown for all probe failures. However, drv_data allocation and workqueue allocation can fail before intf_work, autowakeup_work and sleep_work have been initialized. Do not enter the full remove path until the probe has reached the point where those work items are set up. Return directly for drv_data allocation failure, and use a small early cleanup path for workqueue allocation failure. This issue was found by our static analysis tool and then confirmed by manual review of rt2x00lib_probe_dev() and rt2x00lib_remove_dev(). The early probe exits should not call a common teardown path that assumes the later work setup has already completed. A QEMU PoC forced alloc_ordered_workqueue() to fail before the work initializers are reached. The resulting fail path entered rt2x00lib_remove_dev(), and DEBUG_OBJECTS reported invalid work drains with rt2x00lib_probe_dev() and rt2x00lib_remove_dev() in the stack.
Impacted products
Vendor Product Version
Linux Linux Version: 0439f5367c8d8bb2ebaca8d7329f51f3148b2fb2
Version: 0439f5367c8d8bb2ebaca8d7329f51f3148b2fb2
Version: 0439f5367c8d8bb2ebaca8d7329f51f3148b2fb2
Version: 0439f5367c8d8bb2ebaca8d7329f51f3148b2fb2
Version: 0439f5367c8d8bb2ebaca8d7329f51f3148b2fb2
Version: 0439f5367c8d8bb2ebaca8d7329f51f3148b2fb2
Version: 0439f5367c8d8bb2ebaca8d7329f51f3148b2fb2
Version: 0439f5367c8d8bb2ebaca8d7329f51f3148b2fb2
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{
  "containers": {
    "cna": {
      "affected": [
        {
          "defaultStatus": "unaffected",
          "product": "Linux",
          "programFiles": [
            "drivers/net/wireless/ralink/rt2x00/rt2x00dev.c"
          ],
          "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
          "vendor": "Linux",
          "versions": [
            {
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              "status": "affected",
              "version": "0439f5367c8d8bb2ebaca8d7329f51f3148b2fb2",
              "versionType": "git"
            },
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              "status": "affected",
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              "versionType": "git"
            },
            {
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              "status": "affected",
              "version": "0439f5367c8d8bb2ebaca8d7329f51f3148b2fb2",
              "versionType": "git"
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            {
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              "status": "affected",
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              "versionType": "git"
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              "versionType": "git"
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              "versionType": "git"
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "defaultStatus": "affected",
          "product": "Linux",
          "programFiles": [
            "drivers/net/wireless/ralink/rt2x00/rt2x00dev.c"
          ],
          "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
          "vendor": "Linux",
          "versions": [
            {
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "2.6.39"
            },
            {
              "lessThan": "2.6.39",
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "0",
              "versionType": "semver"
            },
            {
              "lessThanOrEqual": "5.10.*",
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "5.10.261",
              "versionType": "semver"
            },
            {
              "lessThanOrEqual": "5.15.*",
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "5.15.212",
              "versionType": "semver"
            },
            {
              "lessThanOrEqual": "6.1.*",
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "6.1.178",
              "versionType": "semver"
            },
            {
              "lessThanOrEqual": "6.6.*",
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "6.6.145",
              "versionType": "semver"
            },
            {
              "lessThanOrEqual": "6.12.*",
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "6.12.97",
              "versionType": "semver"
            },
            {
              "lessThanOrEqual": "6.18.*",
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "6.18.40",
              "versionType": "semver"
            },
            {
              "lessThanOrEqual": "7.1.*",
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "7.1.5",
              "versionType": "semver"
            },
            {
              "lessThanOrEqual": "*",
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "7.2",
              "versionType": "original_commit_for_fix"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "cpeApplicability": [
        {
          "nodes": [
            {
              "cpeMatch": [
                {
                  "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                  "versionEndExcluding": "5.10.261",
                  "versionStartIncluding": "2.6.39",
                  "vulnerable": true
                },
                {
                  "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                  "versionEndExcluding": "5.15.212",
                  "versionStartIncluding": "2.6.39",
                  "vulnerable": true
                },
                {
                  "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                  "versionEndExcluding": "6.1.178",
                  "versionStartIncluding": "2.6.39",
                  "vulnerable": true
                },
                {
                  "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                  "versionEndExcluding": "6.6.145",
                  "versionStartIncluding": "2.6.39",
                  "vulnerable": true
                },
                {
                  "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                  "versionEndExcluding": "6.12.97",
                  "versionStartIncluding": "2.6.39",
                  "vulnerable": true
                },
                {
                  "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                  "versionEndExcluding": "6.18.40",
                  "versionStartIncluding": "2.6.39",
                  "vulnerable": true
                },
                {
                  "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                  "versionEndExcluding": "7.1.5",
                  "versionStartIncluding": "2.6.39",
                  "vulnerable": true
                },
                {
                  "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                  "versionEndExcluding": "7.2",
                  "versionStartIncluding": "2.6.39",
                  "vulnerable": true
                }
              ],
              "negate": false,
              "operator": "OR"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "descriptions": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nwifi: rt2x00: avoid full teardown before work setup in probe\n\nrt2x00lib_probe_dev() uses the full rt2x00lib_remove_dev() teardown for\nall probe failures. However, drv_data allocation and workqueue allocation\ncan fail before intf_work, autowakeup_work and sleep_work have been\ninitialized.\n\nDo not enter the full remove path until the probe has reached the point\nwhere those work items are set up. Return directly for drv_data allocation\nfailure, and use a small early cleanup path for workqueue allocation\nfailure.\n\nThis issue was found by our static analysis tool and then confirmed by\nmanual review of rt2x00lib_probe_dev() and rt2x00lib_remove_dev(). The\nearly probe exits should not call a common teardown path that assumes the\nlater work setup has already completed.\n\nA QEMU PoC forced alloc_ordered_workqueue() to fail before the work\ninitializers are reached. The resulting fail path entered\nrt2x00lib_remove_dev(), and DEBUG_OBJECTS reported invalid work drains with\nrt2x00lib_probe_dev() and rt2x00lib_remove_dev() in the stack."
        }
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "cvssV3_1": {
            "baseScore": 7.8,
            "baseSeverity": "HIGH",
            "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
            "version": "3.1"
          },
          "scenarios": [
            {
              "lang": "en",
              "value": "AV:L - The flaw is in rt2x00 driver probe (rt2x00usb_probe/rt2x00pci_probe/rt2800soc_probe), triggered during device initialization on boot or hotplug, not by remote WiFi frames; worst case is built-in SoC/PCI WiFi on internet-facing routers/APs under local memory pressure.\nAC:L - An attacker can reliably force kzalloc or alloc_ordered_workqueue() to fail with a memory exhaustion attack and retry on reboot or USB reinsertion; success does not depend on uncontrollable layout or victim-only timing beyond attacker-driven ENOMEM.\nPR:L - Triggering probe-time ENOMEM requires only an unprivileged local process to exhaust memory during driver initialization; no CAP_NET_ADMIN, real root, or user-namespace capability is needed to reach the vulnerable teardown path.\nUI:N - Exploitation does not require a victim to click, mount, or configure anything; probe runs automatically at boot or on device hotplug while the attacker maintains memory pressure.\nS:U - Impact is confined to kernel/driver state on the host being probed; it is not a VM escape, sandbox breakout, or cross-authority boundary crossing beyond standard local kernel compromise.\nC:H - rt2x00lib_remove_dev() calls cancel_work_sync/cancel_delayed_work_sync and hrtimer_cancel on objects never initialized by INIT_WORK/hrtimer_setup, corrupting workqueue/timer metadata and creating undefined behavior that can expose kernel memory.\nI:H - Invalid cancel/flush/drain of uninitialized work items and tasklet_kill on uninitialized tasklets can corrupt adjacent kernel heap objects and workqueue state, plausibly yielding write primitives beyond a simple denial of service.\nA:H - A QEMU PoC forcing alloc_ordered_workqueue() failure hit DEBUG_OBJECTS invalid work drains in rt2x00lib_remove_dev(); this teardown path can WARN/OOPS/panic the kernel during probe failure cleanup."
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "providerMetadata": {
        "dateUpdated": "2026-08-17T05:39:22.758Z",
        "orgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
        "shortName": "Linux"
      },
      "references": [
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8b58d1f1356df6a7d2de3f55bb665b18b04ffda0"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/59afe6148927395cf86f9429900e029a48b1d42b"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3c0427d719bddb33caf18ff4ffb77cb47de7eb00"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/eb7474d0253bb2de4793e1d3ce833e8564bbe732"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/66bd9b1a72de7c2f5141b02d796048aafaed8a49"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/816559409e340acaa5c9d868291dab30d8c80263"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/56994852d704535ea354a4627ca667b1b4fa0deb"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/536fb3d739d75a03cb318c0c6fe799425cfea501"
        }
      ],
      "title": "wifi: rt2x00: avoid full teardown before work setup in probe",
      "x_generator": {
        "engine": "bippy-1.2.0"
      }
    }
  },
  "cveMetadata": {
    "assignerOrgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
    "assignerShortName": "Linux",
    "cveId": "CVE-2026-72005",
    "datePublished": "2026-08-15T05:51:36.005Z",
    "dateReserved": "2026-08-09T03:40:39.898Z",
    "dateUpdated": "2026-08-17T05:39:22.758Z",
    "state": "PUBLISHED"
  },
  "dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
  "dataVersion": "5.2"
}


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  • Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or seen somewhere by the user.
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