wifi: mac80211: minstrel_ht: validate fixed rate index
The fixed_rate_idx debugfs file is a plain u32 attribute, so any value
can be written to it. minstrel_ht_update_stats() then copies the value
into mi->max_tp_rate[] and mi->max_prob_rate, and
minstrel_ht_set_rate() uses MI_RATE_GROUP()/MI_RATE_IDX() to index
minstrel_mcs_groups[] (42 entries) and mi->groups[].rates[] (10 entries)
with it.
Writing e.g. 65535 selects group 4095 and rate index 15, far outside
both arrays. The out-of-bounds entries are dereferenced and updated as
struct minstrel_rate_stats (retry counts, etc.), so the invalid index
corrupts adjacent kernel memory. With CONFIG_UBSAN_BOUNDS the access is
reported as an array-index-out-of-bounds in minstrel_ht_set_rate().
Only a valid group/rate pair, or U32_MAX to disable fixed rate
processing, can be used safely, so reject any other value when the
debugfs file is written.
The file is only reachable through a root-only debugfs mount, so this is
not a privilege boundary. The out-of-bounds access is still a bug that
must not be reachable through a writable debugfs attribute.
Analysis
Analysis and contextual insights are available on OpenCVE Cloud.
Default status is the baseline for the product, each version can override it (e.g. patched versions marked unaffected).
| Vendor | Product | Default status | Versions | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | unaffected |
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| Linux | Linux | affected |
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No data.
No data.
No data available yet.
No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record.
Additional remediation guidance may be available on OpenCVE Cloud.
Tracking
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Sun, 18 Oct 2026 16:00:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: mac80211: minstrel_ht: validate fixed rate index The fixed_rate_idx debugfs file is a plain u32 attribute, so any value can be written to it. minstrel_ht_update_stats() then copies the value into mi->max_tp_rate[] and mi->max_prob_rate, and minstrel_ht_set_rate() uses MI_RATE_GROUP()/MI_RATE_IDX() to index minstrel_mcs_groups[] (42 entries) and mi->groups[].rates[] (10 entries) with it. Writing e.g. 65535 selects group 4095 and rate index 15, far outside both arrays. The out-of-bounds entries are dereferenced and updated as struct minstrel_rate_stats (retry counts, etc.), so the invalid index corrupts adjacent kernel memory. With CONFIG_UBSAN_BOUNDS the access is reported as an array-index-out-of-bounds in minstrel_ht_set_rate(). Only a valid group/rate pair, or U32_MAX to disable fixed rate processing, can be used safely, so reject any other value when the debugfs file is written. The file is only reachable through a root-only debugfs mount, so this is not a privilege boundary. The out-of-bounds access is still a bug that must not be reachable through a writable debugfs attribute. | |
| Title | wifi: mac80211: minstrel_ht: validate fixed rate index | |
| First Time appeared |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| CPEs | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | |
| Vendors & Products |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| References |
|
MITRE
Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: Linux
Published:
Updated: 2026-10-18T15:46:33.395Z
Reserved: 2026-09-25T10:25:14.365Z
Link: CVE-2026-98703
Vulnrichment
No data.
NVD
Status : Received
Published: 2026-10-18T16:17:23.810
Modified: 2026-10-18T16:17:23.810
Link: CVE-2026-98703
Redhat
No data.
OpenCVE Enrichment
No data.
No weakness.