CVE-2026-93796 Linux CVE debrief

Who should care

System administrators and security teams responsible for maintaining Linux-based systems, particularly those using the iwlwifi pcie component, should assess their exposure and verify the system's Linux kernel version to ensure it is not affected.

Why it matters

The CVE-2026-93796 vulnerability in the Linux kernel's iwlwifi pcie component requires verification of exposure and potential patching or updating to address the issue.

• Verification of Linux kernel versions and iwlwifi pcie component usage is necessary to determine exposure
• Potential system crashes or issues due to touching stale RX state
• Patching or updating the Linux kernel may be required to address the vulnerability

Technical summary

The vulnerability is caused by the failure to set RX members to NULL after free in the iwlwifi pcie component of the Linux kernel. This allows later teardown or retry to touch stale RX state, potentially leading to system crashes or other issues. The issue arises when iwl_pcie_tx_init() fails after RX init, and the nic init unwinds via iwl_pcie_rx_free(). However, the freed RX members stayed non-NULL on the live transport object, allowing later teardown or retry to touch stale RX state. To address this issue, rx_pool, global_table, rxq, and alloc_page are set to NULL after free to make repeated cleanup and retry paths safe. Affected product deployments should be identified, and owners assigned for follow-up.

Defensive priority

Medium

Recommended defensive actions

• Review and apply the kernel patches to ensure the vulnerability is addressed
• Verify the system's Linux kernel version and check for any affected versions
• Monitor system logs for any suspicious activity related to the iwlwifi pcie component
• Perform a thorough review of the system's exposure to the vulnerability
• Implement compensating controls for exposed systems while remediation is scheduled and verified
• Track exceptions and retest remediated assets
• Check relevant monitoring, detection, and logs for exposed assets that need extra review

Evidence notes

The CVE record and NVD vulnerability detail page provide information on the vulnerability. However, the corpus does not establish versions, exploitation, impact, or remediation, which require verification from the supplied official sources.

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.