---
id: CVE-2026-80948
title: >-
  kernel: wifi: iwlwifi: dvm: fix memory leak in iwl_op_mode_dvm_start()
  (CVE-2026-80948)
summary: >-
  A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's iwlwifi driver. An error handling issue
  within the `iwl_op_mode_dvm_start()` function can cause a memory leak. This
  occurs when certain error paths bypass a memory deallocation step, leading to
  unrele…
severity: medium
cvss: 5.5
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'
cvssSource: vendor
cwe: CWE-772
vendor: Red Hat
product: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
affected:
  - enterprise_linux 10
  - enterprise_linux 7
  - enterprise_linux 8
  - enterprise_linux 9
  - openshift_container_platform 4
published: '2026-09-11'
updated: '2026-09-14'
sourceUpdated: '2026-09-14T17:01:45+00:00'
source: CSAF
sourceUrl: 'https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-80948.json'
references:
  - url: >-
      https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-80948.json
  - url: 'https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-80948'
  - url: 'https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2532237'
  - url: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-80948'
  - url: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-80948'
  - url: >-
      https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/security/vulns.git/plain/cve/published/2026/CVE-2026-80948.mbox
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/84ba017a1e1ea7896ed1e3258c947bdbfc5299c5'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ad2a9fdca4a7100472be82ee6048c616fc589720'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/67105abd6195a685a84dcb8a5daf54a1f4bfdb60'
tags:
  - csaf
  - vex
  - red-hat
  - cve.org
epss: 0.0021
epssPercentile: 0.11478
ingestedAt: '2026-09-14T15:23:07.477Z'
---

## Overview

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's iwlwifi driver. An error handling issue within the `iwl_op_mode_dvm_start()` function can cause a memory leak. This occurs when certain error paths bypass a memory deallocation step, leading to unreleased memory. This vulnerability could potentially lead to system instability or a Denial of Service (DoS) condition.

## Vendor advisories

- **Red Hat VEX** · Low · affected: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 · no fix planned: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, … · updated 2026-09-14 · [vex](https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-80948.json)

**kernel: wifi: iwlwifi: dvm: fix memory leak in iwl_op_mode_dvm_start()** — rated Low by Red Hat. Released 2026-09-11, updated 2026-09-14.

Affected:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4

No fix planned:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4

Not affected:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6

## Remediation

Fix deferred