Affects widely deployed Linux kernel; high-severity use-after-free with patch available.
CVE-2026-46166
Linux kernel: potential use-after-free in wifi radar CAC cancel.
Is CVE-2026-46166 being exploited?
Not confirmed. CVE-2026-46166 does not appear in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which records only exploitation that has been observed and reported publicly. That is evidence of absence of a report, not evidence the flaw is unattacked. EPSS currently estimates a 0.20% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How severe is CVE-2026-46166?
CVE-2026-46166 is rated High with a CVSS score of 8.8. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2026-46166?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2026-46166. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2026-46166 affect?
CVE-2026-46166 affects Linux kernel. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2026-46166?
Update to patched kernel version
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
Local privilege escalation or kernel crash via wifi/mac80211 radar path.
Patch when possible
- affected>= bca8bc0399ac2efd56e6adbed0307e10125a556c and < 887ece6c23b49d02a6678e7a8d5ad213d75883ce
- affected>= bca8bc0399ac2efd56e6adbed0307e10125a556c and < 7577a4b8a10fab45a6ee2045ea038a5adadbb585
- affected>= bca8bc0399ac2efd56e6adbed0307e10125a556c and < 120149fb3ebcf674832ca3cafd32bedcdb686dde
- affected>= bca8bc0399ac2efd56e6adbed0307e10125a556c and < ac8eb3e18f41e2cc8492cc1d358bcb786c850270
- affected6.12
As published in the CVE Program record. A version outside these ranges is not a statement that it is unaffected — vendors sometimes understate a range, and distribution-backported builds carry upstream numbers that do not reflect what was patched into them.