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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2026-53097

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-06-24
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.12.91 / 6.18.33 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click 8 weeks old

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 · unedited
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: mt76: mt7996: fix use-after-free bugs in mt7996_mac_dump_work() When the mt7996 pci chip is detaching, the mt7996_crash_data is released in mt7996_coredump_unregister(). However, the work item dump_work may still be running or pending, leading to UAF bugs when the already freed crash_data is dereferenced again in mt7996_mac_dump_work(). The race condition can occur as follows: CPU 0 (removal path) | CPU 1 (workqueue) mt7996_pci_remove() | mt7996_sys_recovery_set() mt7996_unregister_device() | mt7996_reset() mt7996_coredump_unregister() | queue_work() vfree(dev->coredump.crash_data) | mt7996_mac_dump_work() | crash_data-> // UAF Fix this by ensuring dump_work is properly canceled before the crash_data is deallocated. Add cancel_work_sync() in mt7996_unregister_device() to synchronize with any pending or executing dump work.

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 confidence

Use-after-free vulnerability in the mt7996 WiFi driver where crash_data is freed during device removal but the dump_work workqueue item may still be pending or executing, leading to dereferencing of freed memory. The race condition occurs between mt7996_coredump_unregister() and mt7996_mac_dump_work().

MitigationAdd cancel_work_sync() in mt7996_unregister_device() to properly synchronize with and cancel any pending or executing dump work before crash_data is deallocated.

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
Affected:>= 6.4, < 6.12.91>= 6.13, < 6.18.33>= 6.19, < 7.0.10

CVSS 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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check if mt7996 wireless hardware is present
    Run 'lspci | grep -i network' or 'lspci | grep -i wireless' to identify wireless network adapters. For USB devices, use 'lsusb' and look for MediaTek mt7996 devices.
    Affected if The system has mt7996-based wireless hardware (common in MediaTek Filogic 830/850 chipsets) AND the kernel version is within the affected ranges.
  2. Verify kernel version against affected ranges
    Run 'uname -r' to get the running kernel version. Compare against: < 6.12.91, >= 6.13 and < 6.18.33, or >= 6.19 and < 7.0.10.
    Affected if Kernel version falls into any of the three affected ranges (>= 6.4, < 6.12.91; >= 6.13, < 6.18.33; >= 6.19, < 7.0.10).
  3. Check if the mt7996 driver is loaded
    Run 'lsmod | grep mt7996' or check 'ls /sys/bus/pci/drivers/mt7996' (if PCIe) to see if the driver module is active.
    Affected if The mt7996 driver module is loaded and the kernel version is in the affected range.
  4. Confirm driver source includes the vulnerability
    If kernel source is available, grep for 'crash_data' in drivers/net/wireless/mediatek/mt76/mt7996/ to verify the vulnerable code pattern exists (crash_data usage without cancel_work_sync before free).
    Affected if The driver source contains the crash_data allocation and free pattern without the synchronize logic, and the kernel is unpatched.

A system is affected if it runs a vulnerable kernel version (within the specified ranges) AND has mt7996 wireless hardware with the driver loaded, where device detachment could trigger the use-after-free during pending dump_work execution.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 6.12.91 / 6.18.33 / 7.0.10 or later
Fixed in 6.12.916.18.337.0.10
Interim mitigation

Add cancel_work_sync() in mt7996_unregister_device() to properly synchronize with and cancel any pending or executing dump work before crash_data is deallocated.

Recommended fix High confidence

6.12.91, 6.18.33, or 7.0.10 depending on your current kernel branch

  1. Upgrade the Linux kernel to version 6.12.91 or later if using kernel 6.4-6.12.x series
  2. Upgrade the Linux kernel to version 6.18.33 or later if using kernel 6.13-6.18.x series
  3. Upgrade the Linux kernel to version 7.0.10 or later if using kernel 6.19-7.0.x series
  4. Alternatively, apply the vendor patch that adds cancel_work_sync() in mt7996_unregister_device() to synchronize with pending or executing dump_work before crash_data is deallocated
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require rebuilding out-of-tree modules; ensure mt76 driver modules are rebuilt against the new kernel

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
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,540
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-53097 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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