---
id: CVE-2026-68408
title: 'wifi: cfg80211: convert pmsr_free_wk to wiphy_work to fix deadlock'
summary: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  wifi: cfg80211: convert pmsr_free_wk to wiphy_work to fix deadlock

  When a netlink socket that owns a PMSR session is closed,
  cfg80211_release_pmsr() clears the request…
severity: none
vendor: Linux
product: Linux
affected:
  - >-
    Linux >= 37e776e2e0a523731e2470dce6d563f0e8632a40 <
    30c67926d41c456809857976cd3cd71b2290e0c1
  - >-
    Linux >= d32c07ef1880fe20cf4ab223dbfedc9c0b2816aa <
    21512b5f7a74fd18c996c22e6854efe57d570816
  - >-
    Linux >= a1b7a843f12a0c3e9d3a2ca607ce451916ef42cf <
    133684982dd0c24359fcc641d19d89cc17d6e5ef
  - >-
    Linux >= 6dccbc9f3e1d38565dff7730d2b7d1e8b16c9b09 <
    0a77d9fb4d5c0e01306cd406ffdee8f1fe955c0e
  - >-
    Linux >= 6dccbc9f3e1d38565dff7730d2b7d1e8b16c9b09 <
    2b0eab425e1f658d8fe1df7590e3b9af5959505e
  - Linux 28d3551f8d8cb3aec7497894d94150fe84d20e5e
  - Linux 72b7ea786b8e570ae11149e9089859a4a8634a13
  - Linux >= 6.6.130 < 6.6.160
  - Linux >= 6.12.78 < 6.12.101
  - Linux >= 6.18.20 < 6.18.42
  - Linux >= 6.1.167 < 6.2
  - Linux >= 6.19.10 < 6.20
  - Linux 7.0
published: '2026-08-10'
updated: '2026-10-21'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-21T12:44:02.159Z'
source: CVEORG
sourceUrl: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-68408'
references:
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/30c67926d41c456809857976cd3cd71b2290e0c1'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/21512b5f7a74fd18c996c22e6854efe57d570816'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/133684982dd0c24359fcc641d19d89cc17d6e5ef'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0a77d9fb4d5c0e01306cd406ffdee8f1fe955c0e'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2b0eab425e1f658d8fe1df7590e3b9af5959505e'
tags:
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00168
epssPercentile: 0.0574
ingestedAt: '2026-10-21T12:48:53.599Z'
---

## Overview

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

wifi: cfg80211: convert pmsr_free_wk to wiphy_work to fix deadlock

When a netlink socket that owns a PMSR session is closed,
cfg80211_release_pmsr() clears the request's nl_portid and queues
pmsr_free_wk to call cfg80211_pmsr_process_abort() asynchronously.

If the interface tears down concurrently, cfg80211_pmsr_wdev_down()
is called under wiphy_lock and calls cancel_work_sync(&pmsr_free_wk)
to wait for any running work. The work function acquires wiphy_lock
via guard(wiphy) before calling process_abort.

This is a deadlock: wdev_down holds wiphy_lock and blocks inside
cancel_work_sync(); pmsr_free_wk blocks trying to acquire that same
wiphy_lock. Neither thread can proceed.

The same deadlock is reachable from cfg80211_leave_locked(), which
calls cfg80211_pmsr_wdev_down() for all interface types under
wiphy_lock.

Fix this by converting pmsr_free_wk from a plain work_struct to a
wiphy_work. The wiphy_work dispatcher holds wiphy_lock when running
work items, so the explicit guard(wiphy) in the work function is no
longer needed. wiphy_work_cancel() can be called safely while holding
wiphy_lock - since wiphy_lock prevents the work from running
concurrently, wiphy_work_cancel() never blocks, eliminating the
deadlock.

Remove the cancel_work_sync() for pmsr_free_wk from the
NETDEV_GOING_DOWN handler. cfg80211_leave(), called unconditionally
just before it, already cancels any pending work under wiphy_lock
via wiphy_work_cancel() inside cfg80211_pmsr_wdev_down().

## Affected

- `Linux >= 37e776e2e0a523731e2470dce6d563f0e8632a40 < 30c67926d41c456809857976cd3cd71b2290e0c1`
- `Linux >= d32c07ef1880fe20cf4ab223dbfedc9c0b2816aa < 21512b5f7a74fd18c996c22e6854efe57d570816`
- `Linux >= a1b7a843f12a0c3e9d3a2ca607ce451916ef42cf < 133684982dd0c24359fcc641d19d89cc17d6e5ef`
- `Linux >= 6dccbc9f3e1d38565dff7730d2b7d1e8b16c9b09 < 0a77d9fb4d5c0e01306cd406ffdee8f1fe955c0e`
- `Linux >= 6dccbc9f3e1d38565dff7730d2b7d1e8b16c9b09 < 2b0eab425e1f658d8fe1df7590e3b9af5959505e`
- `Linux 28d3551f8d8cb3aec7497894d94150fe84d20e5e`
- `Linux 72b7ea786b8e570ae11149e9089859a4a8634a13`
- `Linux >= 6.6.130 < 6.6.160`
- `Linux >= 6.12.78 < 6.12.101`
- `Linux >= 6.18.20 < 6.18.42`
- `Linux >= 6.1.167 < 6.2`
- `Linux >= 6.19.10 < 6.20`
- `Linux 7.0`

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.