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CVE-2025-38116: Linux kernel Wi‑Fi driver may cause crash after removal
CVE-2025-38116 · published 1 year ago
Summary
The ath12k Wi‑Fi driver in the Linux kernel could leave a piece of code registered even when initialization fails. If the driver is later removed, that leftover code may be accessed and cause a crash. Updating to a kernel version that includes the fix, or applying the provided patches, resolves the issue.
What to do
- Update canonical linux-aws-6.14 to version 6.14.0-1013.13~24.04.1.
- Update canonical linux-azure-nvidia-6.14 to version 6.14.0-1007.7.
- Update canonical linux-gcp-6.14 to version 6.14.0-1016.17~24.04.1.
- Update canonical linux-oem-6.14 to version 6.14.0-1012.12.
- Update canonical linux-oracle-6.14 to version 6.14.0-1013.13~24.04.1.
- Update canonical linux-riscv-6.14 to version 6.14.0-32.32.1~24.04.1.
- Update canonical linux-realtime-6.14 to version 6.14.0-1012.12~24.04.1.
- Update linux kernel to version 6.15.3.
- Update linux linux_kernel to version 6.15.3 or later.
- Update linux linux to version 65e1b3404c211dcfaea02698539cdcd26647130f or later.
Affected software
| Ecosystem | Vendor | Product | Affected versions |
|---|---|---|---|
| – | linux | linux_kernel |
>= 6.14, < 6.15.3 6.16 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| – | linux | linux |
< 65e1b3404c211dcfaea02698539cdcd26647130f 6.14 |
| Ubuntu:16.04:LTS | canonical | linux-hwe-edge | All versions |
| Ubuntu:18.04:LTS | canonical | linux-aws-5.0 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:18.04:LTS | canonical | linux-aws-5.3 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:18.04:LTS | canonical | linux-azure | All versions |
| Ubuntu:18.04:LTS | canonical | linux-azure-5.3 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:18.04:LTS | canonical | linux-azure-edge | All versions |
| Ubuntu:18.04:LTS | canonical | linux-gcp | All versions |
| Ubuntu:18.04:LTS | canonical | linux-gcp-5.3 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:18.04:LTS | canonical | linux-gke-4.15 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:18.04:LTS | canonical | linux-gke-5.4 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:18.04:LTS | canonical | linux-gkeop-5.4 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:18.04:LTS | canonical | linux-hwe | All versions |
| Ubuntu:18.04:LTS | canonical | linux-oem | All versions |
| Ubuntu:18.04:LTS | canonical | linux-oracle-5.0 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:18.04:LTS | canonical | linux-oracle-5.3 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | canonical | linux-aws-5.11 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | canonical | linux-aws-5.13 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | canonical | linux-aws-5.8 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | canonical | linux-azure-5.11 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | canonical | linux-azure-5.13 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | canonical | linux-azure-5.8 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | canonical | linux-azure-fde | All versions |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | canonical | linux-gcp-5.11 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | canonical | linux-gcp-5.13 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | canonical | linux-gcp-5.8 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | canonical | linux-gke | All versions |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | canonical | linux-gke-5.15 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | canonical | linux-gkeop | All versions |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | canonical | linux-gkeop-5.15 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | canonical | linux-hwe-5.11 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | canonical | linux-hwe-5.13 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | canonical | linux-hwe-5.8 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | canonical | linux-intel-5.13 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | canonical | linux-oem-5.10 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | canonical | linux-oem-5.13 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | canonical | linux-oem-5.14 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | canonical | linux-oem-5.6 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | canonical | linux-oracle-5.11 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | canonical | linux-oracle-5.13 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | canonical | linux-oracle-5.8 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | canonical | linux-raspi2 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | canonical | linux-riscv | All versions |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | canonical | linux-riscv-5.11 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | canonical | linux-riscv-5.8 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-allwinner-5.19 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-aws-5.19 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-aws-6.2 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-aws-6.5 | All versions |
Showing 50 of 92. Show the rest
| Ecosystem | Vendor | Product | Affected versions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-azure-5.19 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-azure-6.2 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-azure-6.5 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-azure-fde-5.19 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-azure-fde-6.2 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-gcp-5.19 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-gcp-6.2 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-gcp-6.5 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-hwe-5.19 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-hwe-6.2 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-hwe-6.5 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-intel-iot-realtime | All versions |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-lowlatency-hwe-5.19 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.2 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.5 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-nvidia-6.2 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-nvidia-6.5 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-oem-5.17 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-oem-6.0 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-oem-6.1 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-oem-6.5 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-oracle-6.5 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-realtime | All versions |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-riscv-5.19 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-riscv-6.5 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-starfive-5.19 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-starfive-6.2 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | canonical | linux-starfive-6.5 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:24.04:LTS | canonical | linux-aws-6.14 |
< 6.14.0-1013.13~24.04.1 Fix: upgrade to 6.14.0-1013.13~24.04.1
|
| Ubuntu:24.04:LTS | canonical | linux-azure-6.11 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:24.04:LTS | canonical | linux-azure-nvidia-6.14 |
< 6.14.0-1007.7 Fix: upgrade to 6.14.0-1007.7
|
| Ubuntu:24.04:LTS | canonical | linux-gcp-6.11 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:24.04:LTS | canonical | linux-gcp-6.14 |
< 6.14.0-1016.17~24.04.1 Fix: upgrade to 6.14.0-1016.17~24.04.1
|
| Ubuntu:24.04:LTS | canonical | linux-hwe-6.11 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:24.04:LTS | canonical | linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.11 | All versions |
| Ubuntu:24.04:LTS | canonical | linux-oem-6.14 |
< 6.14.0-1012.12 Fix: upgrade to 6.14.0-1012.12
|
| Ubuntu:24.04:LTS | canonical | linux-oracle-6.14 |
< 6.14.0-1013.13~24.04.1 Fix: upgrade to 6.14.0-1013.13~24.04.1
|
| Ubuntu:24.04:LTS | canonical | linux-raspi-realtime | All versions |
| Ubuntu:24.04:LTS | canonical | linux-riscv-6.14 |
< 6.14.0-32.32.1~24.04.1 Fix: upgrade to 6.14.0-32.32.1~24.04.1
|
| Ubuntu:Nvidia-BlueField:24.04:LTS | canonical | linux-bluefield | All versions |
| Ubuntu:Pro:Realtime:24.04:LTS | canonical | linux-realtime-6.14 |
< 6.14.0-1012.12~24.04.1 Fix: upgrade to 6.14.0-1012.12~24.04.1
|
| Linux | linux | kernel |
>= 6.14.0, < 6.15.3 Fix: upgrade to 6.15.3
|
Original advisory text
wifi: ath12k: fix uaf in ath12k_core_init()
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
wifi: ath12k: fix uaf in ath12k_core_init()
When the execution of ath12k_core_hw_group_assign() or
ath12k_core_hw_group_create() fails, the registered notifier chain is not
unregistered properly. Its memory is freed after rmmod, which may trigger
to a use-after-free (UAF) issue if there is a subsequent access to this
notifier chain.
Fixes the issue by calling ath12k_core_panic_notifier_unregister() in
failure cases.
Call trace:
notifier_chain_register+0x4c/0x1f0 (P)
atomic_notifier_chain_register+0x38/0x68
ath12k_core_init+0x50/0x4e8 [ath12k]
ath12k_pci_probe+0x5f8/0xc28 [ath12k]
pci_device_probe+0xbc/0x1a8
really_probe+0xc8/0x3a0
__driver_probe_device+0x84/0x1b0
driver_probe_device+0x44/0x130
__driver_attach+0xcc/0x208
bus_for_each_dev+0x84/0x100
driver_attach+0x2c/0x40
bus_add_driver+0x130/0x260
driver_register+0x70/0x138
__pci_register_driver+0x68/0x80
ath12k_pci_init+0x30/0x68 [ath12k]
ath12k_init+0x28/0x78 [ath12k]
Tested-on: WCN7850 hw2.0 PCI WLAN.HMT.1.0.c5-00481-QCAHMTSWPL_V1.0_V2.0_SILICONZ-3
wifi: ath12k: fix uaf in ath12k_core_init()
When the execution of ath12k_core_hw_group_assign() or
ath12k_core_hw_group_create() fails, the registered notifier chain is not
unregistered properly. Its memory is freed after rmmod, which may trigger
to a use-after-free (UAF) issue if there is a subsequent access to this
notifier chain.
Fixes the issue by calling ath12k_core_panic_notifier_unregister() in
failure cases.
Call trace:
notifier_chain_register+0x4c/0x1f0 (P)
atomic_notifier_chain_register+0x38/0x68
ath12k_core_init+0x50/0x4e8 [ath12k]
ath12k_pci_probe+0x5f8/0xc28 [ath12k]
pci_device_probe+0xbc/0x1a8
really_probe+0xc8/0x3a0
__driver_probe_device+0x84/0x1b0
driver_probe_device+0x44/0x130
__driver_attach+0xcc/0x208
bus_for_each_dev+0x84/0x100
driver_attach+0x2c/0x40
bus_add_driver+0x130/0x260
driver_register+0x70/0x138
__pci_register_driver+0x68/0x80
ath12k_pci_init+0x30/0x68 [ath12k]
ath12k_init+0x28/0x78 [ath12k]
Tested-on: WCN7850 hw2.0 PCI WLAN.HMT.1.0.c5-00481-QCAHMTSWPL_V1.0_V2.0_SILICONZ-3
References
- https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2025-38116 Third Party Advisory
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-38116 Third Party Advisory
- https://git.kernel.org/linus/f3fe49dbddd73f0155a8935af47cb63693069dbe Third Party Advisory
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7769-1 Vendor Advisory
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7770-1 Vendor Advisory
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7771-1 Vendor Advisory
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7769-2 Vendor Advisory
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7769-3 Vendor Advisory
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7789-1 Vendor Advisory
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7789-2 Vendor Advisory
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/65e1b3404c211dcfaea02698539cdcd26647130f URL
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f3fe49dbddd73f0155a8935af47cb63693069dbe URL
- https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2025/38xxx/CVE-2025-38116... Vendor Advisory
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-38116 Vendor Advisory
- https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git Product
Internet-facing
14 days
Internal
At next upgrade
- Not known to be exploited
- Needs hands-on effort to exploit (estimated)
- Gives an attacker full control (estimated)
Type
CWE-416Use After Free
Timeline
Published3 Jul 2025
Updated30 Oct 2026
First seen7 Mar 2026
Sources
CVE-2025-38116 · NVD
CVE-2025-38116 · MITRE
UBUNTU-CVE-2025-38116 · OSV
CVE-2025-38116 · OSV
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