CVE-2026-99134: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mac802154: fix data race and NULL deref on local->assoc_dev local->assoc

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mac802154: fix data race and NULL deref on local->assoc_dev local->assoc_dev is shared bet

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mac802154: fix data race and NULL deref on local->assoc_dev local->assoc_dev is shared between the association path and the association-response worker without common synchronization. mac802154_perform_association() stores the coordinator pointer and waits for a response. Its timeout and error paths clear the pointer and return to mac802154_associate(), which may then free the coordinator object. Meanwhile, mac802154_rx_mac_cmd_worker() may observe the associating bit and enter mac802154_process_association_resp(), which dereferences assoc_dev. The worker's bit test and the handler's pointer dereference are not atomic with respect to cleanup. Cleanup can clear assoc_dev between them, causing a NULL dereference, or free the coordinator while the response handler still uses the pointer. The recorded result is exposed to the same window. assoc_status and assoc_addr are written by the handler but read by the association path while the associating bit is still set, so a second response for the same request - a malicious one, for instance - can replace them between those reads and leave the caller with an incoherent

Description from the National Vulnerability Database, published by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

What it means for a small business

Linux is on the computers, phones or browsers your team uses every day. Turn on automatic updates and restart: most of these fixes only take effect after a restart.

How likely is an attack? The Exploit Prediction Scoring System, run by FIRST (the global association of security response teams), puts the odds of this one being exploited in the next 30 days at 0.17%, higher than 5% of CVEs. That’s low, but low isn’t zero, and the odds jump the day someone publishes an exploit. Scored October 29, 2026, updated daily.

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Sources

Part of the Huttenlocher Technologies vulnerability database, refreshed twice a day from CISA and the NVD. The title, category and plain-language guidance are ours; check the linked record before acting on a detail. This is general guidance, not a review of your systems.

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