Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2026-23185 is a high-severity Use After Free (CWE-416) vulnerability in Linux Linux Kernel. Its CVSS base score is 7.8 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Client Execution (T1203); ranked at the 3th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SA-15 (Development Process, Standards, and Tools) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2026-23185 is a use-after-free vulnerability (CWE-416) in the Linux kernel's iwlwifi driver, specifically within the multi-link device (MLD) subsystem. The issue arises because the mlo_scan_start_wk work item is not canceled upon disconnection, except during restart cleanup. This can lead to an init-after-queue problem if the work is queued and then drv_change_interface executes, or a use-after-free if the work runs after the virtual interface (vif) is freed. The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) and was published on 2026-02-14.
A local attacker with low privileges can exploit this vulnerability due to its low attack complexity and lack of required user interaction. Successful exploitation could result in high impacts to confidentiality, integrity, and availability, potentially allowing arbitrary code execution, data corruption, or system crashes through the mishandled workqueue execution.
Mitigation involves applying the upstream kernel patches referenced in the stable branch commits at https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5ff641011ab7fb63ea101251087745d9826e8ef5 and https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9b9f52f052f4953fecd2190ae2dde3aa76d10962, which resolve the issue by properly canceling the mlo_scan_start_wk on disconnection.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-5859
Vulnerability Data
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: iwlwifi: mld: cancel mlo_scan_start_wk mlo_scan_start_wk is not canceled on disconnection. In fact, it is not canceled anywhere except in the restart cleanup, where we don't really have to. This…
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can cause an init-after-queue issue: if, for example, the work was queued and then drv_change_interface got executed. This can also cause use-after-free: if the work is executed after the vif is freed.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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- 3 hardening rules · 3 OS baselines
V1.4.3
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and evaluation can discover use-after-free bugs through dynamic analysis or fuzzing.
Requiring documented development standards and tools can mandate explicit resource-release patterns in code.
Engineering principles can require memory-safe constructs or languages that structurally avoid introducing use-after-free.
Process isolation confines the blast radius of use-after-free memory corruption to a single execution domain.
Resource-quota allocation limits the blast radius of an unreleased-resource exhaustion condition.
Memory protection controls limit exploitation impact by blocking unauthorized code execution from dangling pointers.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Lifecycle management explicitly requires handling resources through end-of-life including release.
Secure SDLC practices directly incorporate memory-safety tooling and reviews that prevent most use-after-free defects.
Runtime monitoring may surface resource-exhaustion symptoms but does not address release logic.
Vulnerability identification processes can discover use-after-free issues via scanning or analysis but do not prevent their introduction.
Capacity monitoring can detect exhaustion caused by unreleased resources but does not prevent the root defect.
Routine patching removes known use-after-free instances after they have been introduced in released software.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Explicit information-deletion requirements directly address timely release of resources after use.
Security testing in development can detect use-after-free bugs before release.
Secure SDLC mandates memory-safety practices that reduce use-after-free defects.
Application security requirements can specify memory-management rules that mitigate use-after-free.
Secure architecture principles include memory-safety design choices that limit use-after-free exposure.
Secure coding standards directly prescribe avoidance of use-after-free patterns.
Hardening callouts derived
Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).
Oracle Linux 8 (1 rule)
- V-248592 OL 8 must clear memory when it is freed to prevent use-after-free attacks. prevents CWE-416
RHEL 8 (1 rule)
- V-230279 RHEL 8 must clear memory when it is freed to prevent use-after-free attacks. prevents CWE-416
RHEL 9 (1 rule)
- V-257794 RHEL 9 must clear memory when it is freed to prevent use-after-free attacks. prevents CWE-416