CVE-2026-80941 Linux CVE debrief

Who should care

Linux kernel maintainers, Linux distribution vendors, and users of the affected rtw88 wifi driver should assess exposure and apply patches or mitigations as needed. The vulnerability requires patching to prevent potential denial-of-service. Evidence is limited, and further verification is required to determine affected versions and system exposure.

Why it matters

A memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's rtw88 wifi driver requires patching to prevent potential denial-of-service. Linux kernel maintainers, Linux distribution vendors, and users of the affected rtw88 wifi driver should assess exposure and apply patches or mitigations as needed. Evidence is limited, and further verification is required to determine affected versions and system exposure.

• Memory leak vulnerability requires patching to prevent potential denial-of-service.
• Verification of affected versions and system exposure is necessary.

Technical summary

The rtw_txq_push_skb() function in the Linux kernel's rtw88 wifi driver does not free the skb when it fails, leading to a potential memory leak. This vulnerability requires patching to prevent potential denial-of-service. The Linux kernel maintainers have provided a patch for this vulnerability. Users of the affected rtw88 wifi driver should review and apply the patch as needed. The patch fixes the memory leak vulnerability in the rtw_txq_push_skb() function. The affected rtw88 wifi driver is used in various Linux kernel versions.

Defensive priority

Medium

Recommended defensive actions

• Review and apply the patch provided by the Linux kernel maintainers.
• Inventory checks for systems using the affected rtw88 wifi driver.
• Monitoring for potential memory leak issues.
• Review compensating controls for exposed systems while remediation is scheduled and verified.
• Check relevant monitoring, detection, and logs for exposed assets that need extra review.
• Track exceptions, retest remediated assets, and close the item only after evidence is documented.
• Confirm whether affected product deployments exist in managed environments and assign an owner for follow-up.

Evidence notes

The CVE record and NVD entry provide information about the vulnerability, but details about affected versions and exploitation are limited. Evidence is limited, and further verification is required to determine affected versions and system exposure. The Linux kernel maintainers have provided a patch for this vulnerability. Users of the affected rtw88 wifi driver should review and apply the patch as needed.

Sources and references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.