CVE-2026-23040Network attack vector

Service interruption via invalid NAN frequency

Published Feb 4, 2026 · Updated Feb 4, 2026

NULL pointer dereference in mac80211_hwsim in Linux Kernel 6.18 allows attackers to cause a service interrupt through NAN notifications. The virtual Wi-Fi simulator supplies cfg80211_next_nan_dw_notif with invalid 5475 MHz data instead of channel 149's 5745 MHz frequency, leading it to dereference a null channel. Reachability requires the mac80211_hwsim NAN notification path; published evidence establishes no broader confidentiality or integrity consequence.

CVSS severity7.6
High
EPSS probability0.15%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

NULL pointer dereference in mac80211_hwsim in Linux Kernel 6.18 allows attackers to cause a service interrupt through NAN notifications. The virtual Wi-Fi simulator supplies cfg80211_next_nan_dw_notif with invalid 5475 MHz data instead of channel 149's 5745 MHz frequency, leading it to dereference a null channel. Reachability requires the mac80211_hwsim NAN notification path; published evidence establishes no broader confidentiality or integrity consequence.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-23040
Published
Feb 4, 2026
Updated
Feb 4, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux Kernel
Classifications
T1499
Attack vector
network
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Feb 4, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Feb 4, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=6.18
  2. Affected versionversion=a37a6f54439bf82b827a7072415d3a4afa4e12bd <1251bbdb8f5b2ea86ca9b4268a2e6aa34372ab33
  3. Affected versionversion=a37a6f54439bf82b827a7072415d3a4afa4e12bd <333418872bfecf4843f1ded7a4151685dfcf07d5

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linux Kernelversion=6.18; version=a37a6f54439bf82b827a7072415d3a4afa4e12bd <1251bbdb8f5b2ea86ca9b4268a2e6aa34372ab33; version=a37a6f54439bf82b827a7072415d3a4afa4e12bd <333418872bfecf4843f1ded7a4151685dfcf07d5

Published CVSS scores

7.6Oracle LinuxCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:H
5.5Amazon LinuxCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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