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NVD / CVE Program· CNA Linux

CVE-2025-38420: wifi: carl9170: do not ping device which has failed to load firmware

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 22/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.20% (FIRST EPSS).
  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: Linux Linux 0140d3d37f0f1759d1fdedd854c7875a86e15f8d, 11ef72b3312752c2ff92f3c1e64912be3228ed36, 15d25307692312cec4b57052da73387f91a2e870; azl3 kernel 6.6.92.2-2 on Azure Linux 3.0 6.6.96.1-1; azl3 kernel 6.6.96.1-1 on Azure Linux 3.0 6.6.96.1-1.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to Linux Linux 0140d3d37f0f1759d1fdedd854c7875a86e15f8d, 11ef72b3312752c2ff92f3c1e64912be3228ed36, 15d25307692312cec4b57052da73387f91a2e870; azl3 kernel 6.6.92.2-2 on Azure Linux 3.0 6.6.96.1-1; azl3 kernel 6.6.96.1-1 on Azure Linux 3.0 6.6.96.1-1 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: carl9170: do not ping device which has failed to load firmware Syzkaller reports [1, 2] crashes caused by an attempts to ping the device which has failed to load firmware. Since such a device doesn't pass 'ieee80211_register_hw()', an internal workqueue managed by 'ieee80211_queue_work()' is not yet created and an attempt to queue work on it causes null-ptr-deref. [1] https://syzkaller.appspot.com/bug?extid=9a4aec827829942045ff [2] https://syzkaller.appspot.com/bug?extid=0d8afba53e8fb2633217

MediumCVSS 5.5 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
Jul 25, 2025
Updated
Nov 5, 2026
EPSS
0.2% · 11th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

22

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
22 / 40 · 5.5 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.2%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
partial

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2025-38420

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
linuxlinux kernel
debiandebian linux

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • debian debian linux11.0
  • linux linux kernel5.5 and later · before 5.10.239
  • linux linux kernel5.11 and later · before 5.15.186
  • linux linux kernel5.16 and later · before 6.1.142
  • linux linux kernel2.6.38 and later · before 5.4.295
  • linux linux kernel6.7 and later · before 6.12.35
  • linux linux kernel6.13 and later · before 6.15.4
  • linux linux kernel6.2 and later · before 6.6.95
  • linux linux kernel6.16

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (Linux). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Linux Linux

    • 2.6.38affected
    • e4a668c59080f862af3ecc28b359533027cbe434 and later · before 0140d3d37f0f1759d1fdedd854c7875a86e15f8daffected · git
    • e4a668c59080f862af3ecc28b359533027cbe434 and later · before 8a3734a6f4c05fd24605148f21fb2066690d61b3affected · git
    • e4a668c59080f862af3ecc28b359533027cbe434 and later · before 527fad1ae32ffa2d4853a1425fe1c8dbb8c9744caffected · git
    • e4a668c59080f862af3ecc28b359533027cbe434 and later · before bfeede26e97ce4a15a0b961118de4a0e28c9907aaffected · git
    • e4a668c59080f862af3ecc28b359533027cbe434 and later · before 4e9ab5c48ad5153cc908dd29abad0cd2a92951e4affected · git
    • e4a668c59080f862af3ecc28b359533027cbe434 and later · before 301268dbaac8e9013719e162a000202eac8054beaffected · git
    • e4a668c59080f862af3ecc28b359533027cbe434 and later · before 11ef72b3312752c2ff92f3c1e64912be3228ed36affected · git
    • e4a668c59080f862af3ecc28b359533027cbe434 and later · before 15d25307692312cec4b57052da73387f91a2e870affected · git
    • before 2.6.38not affected · semver

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:12linuxbefore 6.1.147-16.1.147-1
Debian:13linuxbefore 6.12.35-16.12.35-1

Same product

linux: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2026-31431crypto: algif_aead - Revert to operating out-of-placeKEV
    90Now
  • CVE-2022-0847A flaw was found in the way the "flags" member of the new pipe buffer structure was lacking proper initialization in copy_page_to_iter_pipe KEV
    89Now
  • CVE-2021-22555Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACEKEV
    85Now

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2025-38414Jul 25, 2025 · wifi: ath12k: fix GCC_GCC_PCIE_HOT_RST definition for WCN7850
    22Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2025-38417Jul 25, 2025 · ice: fix eswitch code memory leak in reset scenario
    22Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2025-38421Jul 25, 2025 · platform/x86/amd: pmf: Use device managed allocations
    31Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
Linux Linux0140d3d37f0f1759d1fdedd854c7875a86e15f8dVendor (CNA)
Linux Linux11ef72b3312752c2ff92f3c1e64912be3228ed36Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux15d25307692312cec4b57052da73387f91a2e870Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux301268dbaac8e9013719e162a000202eac8054beVendor (CNA)
Linux Linux4e9ab5c48ad5153cc908dd29abad0cd2a92951e4Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux527fad1ae32ffa2d4853a1425fe1c8dbb8c9744cVendor (CNA)
Linux Linux8a3734a6f4c05fd24605148f21fb2066690d61b3Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxbfeede26e97ce4a15a0b961118de4a0e28c9907aVendor (CNA)
azl3 kernel 6.6.92.2-2 on Azure Linux 3.06.6.96.1-1 · CBL-Mariner ReleasesMicrosoft (MSRC)
azl3 kernel 6.6.96.1-1 on Azure Linux 3.06.6.96.1-1 · CBL-Mariner ReleasesMicrosoft (MSRC)
debian:linux6.1.147-1 · Debian:12Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

No history yet (it accumulates with the daily EPSS job).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
  • A low-privileged account is enough.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
none
Integrity
none
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
None
Integrity impact
None
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-476 · NULL Pointer Dereference

CVSS vector

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

nvd-primary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.

Change log

  1. SSVC exploitation— → none
  2. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Show all references (9 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records