High

CVE-2026-72005 — wifi: rt2x00: avoid full teardown before work setup in probe

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.

Published Aug 15, 2026 · Updated Oct 15, 2026 · Sources: NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP · CNA: Linux

Low

Who exploits it and how urgent it is

A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.

No exploitation signal in the sources consulted so far.

How the score was calculated

Technical severity (high)+6

The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

Exploitation

Not confirmed

Not in CISA KEV — an absence of record, not proof it is unexploited.

EPSS FIRST

—

No EPSS score.

Affects

Linux

CVSS base

7.8

High · 2 source(s)

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Linux Linux).
No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
Search available logs for exploit probes, errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

Vendor	Product	Versions	Status	Source
Linux	Linux	≥ 0439f5367c8d8bb2ebaca8d7329f51f3148b2fb2 and < 8b58d1f1356df6a7d2de3f55bb665b18b04ffda0≥ 0439f5367c8d8bb2ebaca8d7329f51f3148b2fb2 and < 59afe6148927395cf86f9429900e029a48b1d42b≥ 0439f5367c8d8bb2ebaca8d7329f51f3148b2fb2 and < 3c0427d719bddb33caf18ff4ffb77cb47de7eb00≥ 0439f5367c8d8bb2ebaca8d7329f51f3148b2fb2 and < eb7474d0253bb2de4793e1d3ce833e8564bbe732≥ 0439f5367c8d8bb2ebaca8d7329f51f3148b2fb2 and < 66bd9b1a72de7c2f5141b02d796048aafaed8a49≥ 0439f5367c8d8bb2ebaca8d7329f51f3148b2fb2 and < 816559409e340acaa5c9d868291dab30d8c80263≥ 0439f5367c8d8bb2ebaca8d7329f51f3148b2fb2 and < 56994852d704535ea354a4627ca667b1b4fa0deb≥ 0439f5367c8d8bb2ebaca8d7329f51f3148b2fb2 and < 536fb3d739d75a03cb318c0c6fe799425cfea501 and 1 more version 2.6.39	Vulnerable	CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Attack vector

Local

Attack complexity

Low

Privileges required

Low

User interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

Score	Version	Severity	Expl.	Impact	Scored by
7.8	CVSS 3.1	High	1.8	5.9	416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 via NIST National Vulnerability Database
7.8	CVSS 3.1	High	—	—	Linux via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (score shown at the top: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67)

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

Local/physical vector: focus on endpoint telemetry (EDR) from affected hosts.

endpoint telemetry (EDR)

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

2026
Affected products added · linux/linux
Oct 15, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
Record published
Oct 15, 2026
CVSS changed · 7.8
Oct 15, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
Source status changed · → Received
Oct 15, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
Record created in this database
Oct 15, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
CVE published
Aug 15, 2026 · Linux

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

1× Official description updated · Oct 15, 2026 – Oct 15, 2026

References

8 on the record

git.kernel.org/stable/c/66bd9b1a72de7c2f5141b02d796048aafaed8a49
NIST National Vulnerability Database
git.kernel.org/stable/c/56994852d704535ea354a4627ca667b1b4fa0deb
NIST National Vulnerability Database
git.kernel.org/stable/c/536fb3d739d75a03cb318c0c6fe799425cfea501
NIST National Vulnerability Database
git.kernel.org/stable/c/59afe6148927395cf86f9429900e029a48b1d42b
NIST National Vulnerability Database
git.kernel.org/stable/c/8b58d1f1356df6a7d2de3f55bb665b18b04ffda0
NIST National Vulnerability Database
git.kernel.org/stable/c/3c0427d719bddb33caf18ff4ffb77cb47de7eb00
NIST National Vulnerability Database
git.kernel.org/stable/c/eb7474d0253bb2de4793e1d3ce833e8564bbe732
NIST National Vulnerability Database
git.kernel.org/stable/c/816559409e340acaa5c9d868291dab30d8c80263
NIST National Vulnerability Database

Elsewhere on this site

Linux
every CVE for this vendor

Related CVEs (same products)

Critical CVE-2026-99999 ipv4: validate checksum_start before completing checksum 11h
Unknown CVE-2026-98432 ipv4: free inet_opt and ireq_opt after an RCU grace period 11h
Unknown CVE-2026-98424 wifi: cfg80211: undo netns switch if renaming the wiphy fails 1d
Unknown CVE-2026-98425 wifi: mac80211: don't warn when an IBSS has no channel to scan 1d
Unknown CVE-2026-98426 wifi: mwifiex: fix IRQ leak using wrong index in MSI-X error path 1d
Unknown CVE-2026-98427 net/sched: codel: bound the dropping loop per dequeue call 1d

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

No FIRST EPSS score.
No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
No CISA SSVC assessment.
No CWE classification.
No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2026-72005 is "wifi: rt2x00: avoid full teardown before work setup in probe", rated High. It affects Linux (Linux); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 7.8 describes technical severity. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

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