CVE-2025-71229
Description
An alignment fault flaw was found in the Linux kernel's rtw88 WiFi driver. The rtw_core_enable_beacon() function performs a 4-byte read from a memory address that is not 4-byte aligned. On architectures with strict alignment requirements (such as arm64), this causes a data abort exception and kernel crash when the WiFi driver processes beacon-related firmware commands.
Statement
This vulnerability affects systems using Realtek rtw88-based WiFi adapters (such as RTL8822CE) on architectures with strict memory alignment requirements. x86 systems are generally unaffected due to hardware support for unaligned memory access. The crash occurs during normal WiFi operations involving channel scanning or beacon processing.
Mitigation
To mitigate this issue, prevent the rtw88_core module from being loaded. See https://access.redhat.com/solutions/41278 for instructions on how to blacklist kernel modules.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 5.5 | 5.5 | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Local | Local | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | Low | Low | N/A |
| Privileges Required | Low | Low | N/A |
| User Interaction | None | None | N/A |
| Scope | Unchanged | Unchanged | N/A |
| Confidentiality | None | None | N/A |
| Integrity Impact | None | None | N/A |
| Availability Impact | High | High | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
NVD: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Integrity,Confidentiality,Availability
Technical Impact: Read Memory; Modify Memory; Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
Buffer overflows often can be used to execute arbitrary code, which is usually outside the scope of a program's implicit security policy. This can often be used to subvert any other security service.
Availability
Technical Impact: Modify Memory; DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart; DoS: Resource Consumption (CPU)
Buffer overflows generally lead to crashes. Other attacks leading to lack of availability are possible, including putting the program into an infinite loop.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not sure what something means? Check out our Security Glossary.
Want to get errata notifications? Sign up here.
