Linux KernelOperating system · Linux
CVE-2026-53093
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedIn the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: brcmfmac: Fix error pointer dereference The function brcmf_chip_add_core() can return an error pointer and is not checked. Add checks for error pointer. Detected by Smatch: drivers/net/wireless/broadcom/brcm80211/brcmfmac/chip.c:1010 brcmf_chip_recognition() error: 'core' dereferencing possible ERR_PTR() drivers/net/wireless/broadcom/brcm80211/brcmfmac/chip.c:1013 brcmf_chip_recognition() error: 'core' dereferencing possible ERR_PTR() drivers/net/wireless/broadcom/brcm80211/brcmfmac/chip.c:1016 brcmf_chip_recognition() error: 'core' dereferencing possible ERR_PTR() drivers/net/wireless/broadcom/brcm80211/brcmfmac/chip.c:1019 brcmf_chip_recognition() error: 'core' dereferencing possible ERR_PTR() drivers/net/wireless/broadcom/brcm80211/brcmfmac/chip.c:1022 brcmf_chip_recognition() error: 'core' dereferencing possible ERR_PTR() [add missing wifi: prefix]
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceIn the brcmfmac wireless driver, the brcmf_chip_recognition() function calls brcmf_chip_add_core() which can return error pointers (e.g., ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM)). The returned pointer is dereferenced at five locations (lines 1010, 1013, 1016, 1019, 1022) without first checking if it's an error pointer using IS_ERR(), potentially causing a kernel null pointer dereference or undefined behavior when the function fails.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
>= 3.15, < 5.10.258>= 5.11, < 5.15.209>= 5.16, < 6.1.175>= 6.2, < 6.6.141>= 6.7, < 6.12.91>= 6.13, < 6.18.33>= 6.19, < 7.0.10CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check kernel version against affected rangesRun 'uname -r' or 'cat /proc/version' and compare the kernel version to the affected ranges: >= 3.15, < 5.10.258; >= 5.11, < 5.15.209; >= 5.16, < 6.1.175; >= 6.2, < 6.6.141; >= 6.7, < 6.12.91; >= 6.13, < 6.18.33; >= 6.19, < 7.0.10Affected if The installed kernel version falls within any of the listed affected ranges
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Determine if brcmfmac driver is presentRun 'lsmod | grep brcmfmac' to check if the module is loaded, or check if it is built into the kernel via 'cat /boot/config-$(uname -r) | grep CONFIG_BRCMFMAC'Affected if The brcmfmac driver is loaded as a module or compiled into the kernel (CONFIG_BRCMFMAC=y or =m)
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Check for Broadcom WiFi hardwareRun 'lspci | grep -i broadcom' or 'lspci | grep -i network' to identify Broadcom wireless network controllersAffected if A Broadcom wireless network adapter is present in the system
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Verify driver source code contains vulnerable patternIf kernel source is available, examine drivers/net/wireless/broadcom/brcm80211/brcmfmac/chip.c and locate brcmf_chip_recognition() function. Check if it dereferences the return value of brcmf_chip_add_core() without prior IS_ERR() or NULL checks around lines 1010-1022Affected if The source code shows brcmf_chip_add_core() result is dereferenced without error checking (the vulnerability is unpatched)
You are affected if your kernel version falls within the listed ranges AND you have a Broadcom WiFi adapter using the brcmfmac driver loaded or built-in, and the vulnerability is not patched in the driver source code.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped5.10.2585.15.2096.1.175
Apply the upstream kernel patch which adds IS_ERR() checks before dereferencing the core pointer returned by brcmf_chip_add_core(). This is a code-level fix requiring recompilation of the brcmfmac kernel module.
Upgrade to kernel version 5.10.258, 5.15.209, 6.1.175, 6.6.141 or later (choose the appropriate branch based on your current version)
- 1. Identify the currently running kernel version using 'uname -r' or 'cat /proc/version'
- 2. Determine which stable kernel branch is appropriate for your system (e.g., if currently on 5.15.x, upgrade to 5.15.209 or later; if on 6.1.x, upgrade to 6.1.175 or later)
- 3. For distribution-based systems (Ubuntu, Debian, RHEL, etc.), run the distribution's package manager update command (e.g., 'apt update && apt upgrade' for Debian/Ubuntu, or 'dnf update' for RHEL/Fedora) to obtain the patched kernel
- 4. For custom-built kernels, download the appropriate stable kernel source from kernel.org and apply the fix from the git commit that addresses the error pointer dereference in brcmf_chip_recognition()
- 5. Reboot the system to load the patched kernel
- 6. Verify the fix is applied by checking the kernel version and confirming the brcmfmac chip.c file contains the error pointer checks
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Linux Kernel
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,520.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-53093 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-53093 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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