---
id: CVE-2026-98326
title: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  wifi: mac80211: mesh: release the channel if start fails

  ieee80211_join_mesh() acquires a channel context and then calls
  ieee80211_start_mesh(), which can fail
summary: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  wifi: mac80211: mesh: release the channel if start fails

  ieee80211_join_mesh() acquires a channel context and then calls
  ieee80211_start_mesh(), which can fail. In tha…
severity: none
vendor: Linux
product: Linux
affected:
  - >-
    Linux >= 2b5e19677592c167d012c2d129407f39d2bdeb8d <
    f0afcec2129c166e61821d6ae097061155f01b12
  - >-
    Linux >= 2b5e19677592c167d012c2d129407f39d2bdeb8d <
    b51f5a310bd6888b90bb9546a8081215dcfe6fbe
  - >-
    Linux >= 2b5e19677592c167d012c2d129407f39d2bdeb8d <
    632f7acfe6dac1278a9314eaaab14fada400ddaf
  - >-
    Linux >= 2b5e19677592c167d012c2d129407f39d2bdeb8d <
    41bee71112db53651ba9a9030de1b843255a4a7f
  - >-
    Linux >= 2b5e19677592c167d012c2d129407f39d2bdeb8d <
    4a4e3fa77ea36d3419d806fb5883ef425a605a5d
  - >-
    Linux >= 2b5e19677592c167d012c2d129407f39d2bdeb8d <
    ae97fff6495a8764bc0ef281cfe5444f701e527f
  - Linux 3.9
published: '2026-10-06'
updated: '2026-10-06'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-06T09:18:24.840'
source: NVD
sourceUrl: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98326'
references:
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/41bee71112db53651ba9a9030de1b843255a4a7f'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4a4e3fa77ea36d3419d806fb5883ef425a605a5d'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/632f7acfe6dac1278a9314eaaab14fada400ddaf'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ae97fff6495a8764bc0ef281cfe5444f701e527f'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b51f5a310bd6888b90bb9546a8081215dcfe6fbe'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f0afcec2129c166e61821d6ae097061155f01b12'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
tags:
  - nvd
  - cve.org
ingestedAt: '2026-10-06T08:50:17.405Z'
---

## Overview

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

wifi: mac80211: mesh: release the channel if start fails

ieee80211_join_mesh() acquires a channel context and then calls
ieee80211_start_mesh(), which can fail. In that case, the chanctx
isn't released then interface removal will attempt to unassign it
after it's removed from the driver, hitting:

  wlan0: Failed check-sdata-in-driver check, flags: 0x0
  WARNING: net/mac80211/driver-ops.c:366 at drv_unassign_vif_chanctx
   ieee80211_assign_link_chanctx
   __ieee80211_link_release_channel
   ieee80211_link_release_channel
   ieee80211_teardown_sdata
   unregister_netdevice_many_notify
   _cfg80211_unregister_wdev
   ieee80211_remove_interfaces
   ieee80211_unregister_hw
   mac80211_hwsim_del_radio
   hwsim_exit_net

Correctly release the channel on start failures.

## Remediation

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