# CVE-2026-80947

## Summary

- **CVE ID:** CVE-2026-80947
- **Severity:** HIGH
- **CVSS Score:** 7.8 (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H)
- **CWE:** N/A
- **Published:** Sep 11, 2026
- **Last Modified:** Sep 13, 2026

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

wifi: rtl8xxxu: fix use-after-free from rx_urb_wq on stop

rtl8xxxu arms rx_urb_wq from the RX completion path:
rtl8xxxu_rx_complete() hands the URB to rtl8xxxu_queue_rx_urb(), which
queues it on rx_urb_pending_list and, once the list grows past
RTL8XXXU_RX_URB_PENDING_WATER, schedules rx_urb_wq.  The worker
rtl8xxxu_rx_urb_work() drains rx_urb_pending_list, recovers priv through
container_of, and resubmits each URB through rtl8xxxu_submit_rx_urb(),
which anchors it on rx_anchor and dereferences priv->udev.

rtl8xxxu_stop() cancels the sibling work items (c2hcmd_work, ra_watchdog,
update_beacon_work) but never cancels rx_urb_wq, so a worker armed during
the last burst of RX traffic can run rtl8xxxu_rx_urb_work() after
rtl8xxxu_disconnect() has called ieee80211_free_hw(), which frees priv,
producing a use-after-free.  The window opens under active RX traffic
(pending count above the watermark) followed by a disconnect.

There are two teardown races to close:

  * rtl8xxxu_queue_rx_urb() decided whether to enqueue under rx_urb_lock
    but called schedule_work() after dropping the lock.  A completion
    that observed shutdown == false and released the lock could then call
    schedule_work() after rtl8xxxu_stop() had set shutdown and
    cancel_work_sync() had already returned, arming the worker to run
    after the teardown.  Move schedule_work() under the same !shutdown
    branch so the arming decision is atomic with the shutdown check.

  * rtl8xxxu_rx_urb_work() anchors every URB it drained back onto
    rx_anchor through rtl8xxxu_submit_rx_urb().  A worker still running
    when usb_kill_anchored_urbs(&priv->rx_anchor) returned would submit a
    URB that escaped the kill.  In rtl8xxxu_stop(), call
    cancel_work_sync(&priv->rx_urb_wq) before the kill so the worker is
    drained first.

After priv->shutdown is set under rx_urb_lock, completions can no longer
queue rx_urb_wq. cancel_work_sync() then drains the last queued or running
worker, and the following usb_kill_anchored_urbs() kills the URBs it may
have submitted.

rtl8xxxu_disconnect() is covered because ieee80211_unregister_hw()
guarantees .stop() runs for a live interface before ieee80211_free_hw()
frees priv.  The probe error path needs no cancel: rx_urb_wq is
INIT_WORK()'d there but cannot have been scheduled, since no URB is
submitted before ieee80211_register_hw() succeeds.

This bug was found by static analysis.

## Affected Products

- Linux — Linux (26f1fad29ad973b0fb26a9ca3dcb2a73dde781aa)
- Linux — Linux (4.4)
- Linux — Linux (0)
- Linux — Linux (6.12.109)
- Linux — Linux (6.18.50)
- Linux — Linux (7.2.4)
- Linux — Linux (7.3-rc1)

## References

- [CNA](https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/800d2b490a9af1e7132a3564c2ad5a81292e5b40)
- [CNA](https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/620acb1e8037b73a457dc8ef20fc23fc7adcb405)
- [CNA](https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/972ab8b9c08f3eb3fa535082de2950dd93604dfd)
- [CNA](https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6c080026ecc17eecb103f8927c64ea73a74bb818)

## Exploitation Prediction (EPSS)

- **EPSS Score:** 0.16%
- **EPSS Percentile:** 5.4

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_Exported from OnDuty AI Vulnerability Intelligence on 2026-09-18._