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NVD / CVE Program· CNA Linux

CVE-2025-38646: wifi: rtw89: avoid NULL dereference when RX problematic packet on unsupported 6 GHz band

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: 0.16% (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 4b525630729082f026e7030eafccf89e3add7eae, 77a7a48f87d673a68664bebf044214821decbfda, 7e04f01bb94fe61c73cc59f0495c3b6c16a83231; azl3 kernel 6.6.96.2-2 on Azure Linux 3.0 6.6.104.2-1.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to Linux Linux 4b525630729082f026e7030eafccf89e3add7eae, 77a7a48f87d673a68664bebf044214821decbfda, 7e04f01bb94fe61c73cc59f0495c3b6c16a83231; azl3 kernel 6.6.96.2-2 on Azure Linux 3.0 6.6.104.2-1 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: rtw89: avoid NULL dereference when RX problematic packet on unsupported 6 GHz band With a quite rare chance, RX report might be problematic to make SW think a packet is received on 6 GHz band even if the chip does not support 6 GHz band actually. Since SW won't initialize stuffs for unsupported bands, NULL dereference will happen then in the sequence, rtw89_vif_rx_stats_iter() -> rtw89_core_cancel_6ghz_probe_tx(). So, add a check to avoid it. The following is a crash log for this case. BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000032 #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode #PF: error_code(0x0000) - not-present page PGD 0 P4D 0 Oops: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP NOPTI CPU: 1 PID: 1907 Comm: irq/131-rtw89_p Tainted: G U 6.6.56-05896-g89f5fb0eb30b #1 (HASH:1400 4) Hardware name: Google Telith/Telith, BIOS Google_Telith.15217.747.0 11/12/2024 RIP: 0010:rtw89_vif_rx_stats_iter+0xd2/0x310 [rtw89_core] Code: 4c 89 7d c8 48 89 55 c0 49 8d 44 24 02 48 89 45 b8 45 31 ff eb 11 41 c6 45 3a 01 41 b7 01 4d 8b 6d 00 4d 39 f5 74 42 8b 43 10 <41> 33 45 32 0f b7 4b 14 66 41 33 4d 36 0f b7 c9 09 c1 74 d8 4d 85 RSP: 0018:ffff9f3080138ca0 EFLAGS: 00010246 RAX: 00000000b8bf5770 RBX: ffff91b5e8c639c0 RCX: 0000000000000011 RDX: ffff91b582de1be8 RSI: 0000000000000000 RDI: ffff91b5e8c639e6 RBP: ffff9f3080138d00 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: 0000000000000000 R10: ffff91b59de70000 R11: ffffffffc069be50 R12: ffff91b5e8c639e4 R13: 0000000000000000 R14: ffff91b5828020b8 R15: 0000000000000000 FS: 0000000000000000(0000) GS:ffff91b8efa40000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 0000000000000032 CR3: 00000002bf838000 CR4: 0000000000750ee0 PKRU: 55555554 Call Trace: <IRQ> ? __die_body+0x68/0xb0 ? page_fault_oops+0x379/0x3e0 ? exc_page_fault+0x4f/0xa0 ? asm_exc_page_fault+0x22/0x30 ? __pfx_rtw89_vif_rx_stats_iter+0x10/0x10 [rtw89_core (HASH:1400 5)] ? rtw89_vif_rx_stats_iter+0xd2/0x310 [rtw89_core (HASH:1400 5)] __iterate_interfaces+0x59/0x110 [mac80211 (HASH:1400 6)] ? __pfx_rtw89_vif_rx_stats_iter+0x10/0x10 [rtw89_core (HASH:1400 5)] ? __pfx_rtw89_vif_rx_stats_iter+0x10/0x10 [rtw89_core (HASH:1400 5)] ieee80211_iterate_active_interfaces_atomic+0x36/0x50 [mac80211 (HASH:1400 6)] rtw89_core_rx_to_mac80211+0xfd/0x1b0 [rtw89_core (HASH:1400 5)] rtw89_core_rx+0x43a/0x980 [rtw89_core (HASH:1400 5)]

MediumCVSS 5.5 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
Aug 22, 2025
Updated
Jun 17, 2026
EPSS
0.1% · 5th 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 · 0.1%

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

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When you'll hear from us

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  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
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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

Affected versions

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

  • linux linux kernel6.4 and later · before 6.6.102
  • linux linux kernel6.7 and later · before 6.12.42
  • linux linux kernel6.13 and later · before 6.15.10
  • linux linux kernel6.16 and later · before 6.16.1

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

    • 6.4affected
    • c6aa9a9c47252ac7b07ed6d10459027e2f2a2de0 and later · before 892b29eab44b1803d2cad8e50f1bc2144ef478cbaffected · git
    • c6aa9a9c47252ac7b07ed6d10459027e2f2a2de0 and later · before 77a7a48f87d673a68664bebf044214821decbfdaaffected · git
    • c6aa9a9c47252ac7b07ed6d10459027e2f2a2de0 and later · before f3527ac15a00916e68ecb495b74dbe6a6c62a06faffected · git
    • c6aa9a9c47252ac7b07ed6d10459027e2f2a2de0 and later · before 4b525630729082f026e7030eafccf89e3add7eaeaffected · git
    • c6aa9a9c47252ac7b07ed6d10459027e2f2a2de0 and later · before 7e04f01bb94fe61c73cc59f0495c3b6c16a83231affected · git
    • before 6.4not affected · semver
    • 6.6.102 and later · up to and including 6.6.*not affected · semver
    • 6.12.42 and later · up to and including 6.12.*not affected · semver
    • 6.15.10 and later · up to and including 6.15.*not affected · semver

Package-level exposure

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

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:13linuxbefore 6.12.43-16.12.43-1
Debian:14linuxbefore 6.16.3-16.16.3-1

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-2025-38644Aug 22, 2025 · wifi: mac80211: reject TDLS operations when station is not associated
    22Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2025-38645Aug 22, 2025 · net/mlx5: Check device memory pointer before usage
    22Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2025-38647Aug 22, 2025 · wifi: rtw89: sar: drop lockdep assertion in rtw89_set_sar_from_acpi
    22Monitor

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 Linux4b525630729082f026e7030eafccf89e3add7eaeVendor (CNA)
Linux Linux77a7a48f87d673a68664bebf044214821decbfdaVendor (CNA)
Linux Linux7e04f01bb94fe61c73cc59f0495c3b6c16a83231Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux892b29eab44b1803d2cad8e50f1bc2144ef478cbVendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxf3527ac15a00916e68ecb495b74dbe6a6c62a06fVendor (CNA)
azl3 kernel 6.6.96.2-2 on Azure Linux 3.06.6.104.2-1 · CBL-Mariner ReleasesMicrosoft (MSRC)
debian:linux6.12.43-1 · Debian:13Package 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. Fix✗ → ✓

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

References

Show all references (4 more)

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

All records