Medium [CVE-2026-68126] Linux kernel mac802154: Denial of Service via race condition

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mac802154: hold an interface reference across the scan worker mac802154_scan_worker() captures the scanning sub-interface under RCU and then keeps dereferencing sdata->dev after rcu_read_unlock() and outside the rtnl -- in the failure traces, in mac802154_transmit_beacon_req() (skb->dev = sdata->dev), and in the end_scan cleanup.

Nothing keeps that netdev alive across the worker iteration.

A concurrent DEL_INTERFACE or PHY removal can unregister the interface once the worker drops the rtnl between its two drv_set_channel() sections. unregister_netdevice() frees the netdev asynchronously from netdev_run_todo() with the rtnl already dropped, so neither holding the rtnl nor the per-PHY IEEE802154_IS_SCANNING flag prevents a stale worker iteration from dereferencing the freed netdev -- a KASAN slab-use-after-free, reachable by racing TRIGGER_SCAN against DEL_INTERFACE (both CAP_NET_ADMIN).

Pin the netdev with netdev_hold() while the RCU read lock is still held, and release it at every worker exit. A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's mac802154 component, which handles wireless communication.

A local attacker with network administration privileges could exploit a timing vulnerability. By rapidly initiating and terminating network interface operations, the attacker could trigger a use-after-free error.