{"dataType":"CVE_RECORD","dataVersion":"5.2","cveMetadata":{"cveId":"CVE-2026-72005","assignerOrgId":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","state":"PUBLISHED","assignerShortName":"Linux","dateReserved":"2026-08-09T03:40:39.898Z","datePublished":"2026-08-15T05:51:36.005Z","dateUpdated":"2026-08-17T05:39:22.758Z"},"containers":{"cna":{"providerMetadata":{"orgId":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","shortName":"Linux","dateUpdated":"2026-08-17T05:39:22.758Z"},"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":{"version":"3.1","vectorString":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","baseScore":7.8,"baseSeverity":"HIGH"},"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."}]}],"affected":[{"product":"Linux","vendor":"Linux","defaultStatus":"unaffected","repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["drivers/net/wireless/ralink/rt2x00/rt2x00dev.c"],"versions":[{"version":"0439f5367c8d8bb2ebaca8d7329f51f3148b2fb2","lessThan":"8b58d1f1356df6a7d2de3f55bb665b18b04ffda0","status":"affected","versionType":"git"},{"version":"0439f5367c8d8bb2ebaca8d7329f51f3148b2fb2","lessThan":"59afe6148927395cf86f9429900e029a48b1d42b","status":"affected","versionType":"git"},{"version":"0439f5367c8d8bb2ebaca8d7329f51f3148b2fb2","lessThan":"3c0427d719bddb33caf18ff4ffb77cb47de7eb00","status":"affected","versionType":"git"},{"version":"0439f5367c8d8bb2ebaca8d7329f51f3148b2fb2","lessThan":"eb7474d0253bb2de4793e1d3ce833e8564bbe732","status":"affected","versionType":"git"},{"version":"0439f5367c8d8bb2ebaca8d7329f51f3148b2fb2","lessThan":"66bd9b1a72de7c2f5141b02d796048aafaed8a49","status":"affected","versionType":"git"},{"version":"0439f5367c8d8bb2ebaca8d7329f51f3148b2fb2","lessThan":"816559409e340acaa5c9d868291dab30d8c80263","status":"affected","versionType":"git"},{"version":"0439f5367c8d8bb2ebaca8d7329f51f3148b2fb2","lessThan":"56994852d704535ea354a4627ca667b1b4fa0deb","status":"affected","versionType":"git"},{"version":"0439f5367c8d8bb2ebaca8d7329f51f3148b2fb2","lessThan":"536fb3d739d75a03cb318c0c6fe799425cfea501","status":"affected","versionType":"git"}]},{"product":"Linux","vendor":"Linux","defaultStatus":"affected","repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["drivers/net/wireless/ralink/rt2x00/rt2x00dev.c"],"versions":[{"version":"2.6.39","status":"affected"},{"version":"0","lessThan":"2.6.39","status":"unaffected","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"5.10.261","lessThanOrEqual":"5.10.*","status":"unaffected","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"5.15.212","lessThanOrEqual":"5.15.*","status":"unaffected","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.1.178","lessThanOrEqual":"6.1.*","status":"unaffected","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.6.145","lessThanOrEqual":"6.6.*","status":"unaffected","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.12.97","lessThanOrEqual":"6.12.*","status":"unaffected","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.18.40","lessThanOrEqual":"6.18.*","status":"unaffected","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"7.1.5","lessThanOrEqual":"7.1.*","status":"unaffected","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"7.2","lessThanOrEqual":"*","status":"unaffected","versionType":"original_commit_for_fix"}]}],"cpeApplicability":[{"nodes":[{"operator":"OR","negate":false,"cpeMatch":[{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"2.6.39","versionEndExcluding":"5.10.261"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"2.6.39","versionEndExcluding":"5.15.212"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"2.6.39","versionEndExcluding":"6.1.178"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"2.6.39","versionEndExcluding":"6.6.145"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"2.6.39","versionEndExcluding":"6.12.97"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"2.6.39","versionEndExcluding":"6.18.40"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"2.6.39","versionEndExcluding":"7.1.5"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"2.6.39","versionEndExcluding":"7.2"}]}]}],"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"}}}}