CVE-2025-38291
Description
From CVE.org
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: ath12k: Prevent sending WMI commands to firmware during firmware crash Currently, we encounter the following kernel call trace when a firmware crash occurs. This happens because the host sends WMI commands to the firmware while it is in recovery, causing the commands to fail and resulting in the kernel call trace. Set the ATH12K_FLAG_CRASH_FLUSH and ATH12K_FLAG_RECOVERY flags when the host driver receives the firmware crash notification from MHI. This prevents sending WMI commands to the firmware during recovery. Call Trace: <TASK> dump_stack_lvl+0x75/0xc0 register_lock_class+0x6be/0x7a0 ? __lock_acquire+0x644/0x19a0 __lock_acquire+0x95/0x19a0 lock_acquire+0x265/0x310 ? ath12k_ce_send+0xa2/0x210 [ath12k] ? find_held_lock+0x34/0xa0 ? ath12k_ce_send+0x56/0x210 [ath12k] _raw_spin_lock_bh+0x33/0x70 ? ath12k_ce_send+0xa2/0x210 [ath12k] ath12k_ce_send+0xa2/0x210 [ath12k] ath12k_htc_send+0x178/0x390 [ath12k] ath12k_wmi_cmd_send_nowait+0x76/0xa0 [ath12k] ath12k_wmi_cmd_send+0x62/0x190 [ath12k] ath12k_wmi_pdev_bss_chan_info_request+0x62/0xc0 [ath1 ath12k_mac_op_get_survey+0x2be/0x310 [ath12k] ieee80211_dump_survey+0x99/0x240 [mac80211] nl80211_dump_survey+0xe7/0x470 [cfg80211] ? kmalloc_reserve+0x59/0xf0 genl_dumpit+0x24/0x70 netlink_dump+0x177/0x360 __netlink_dump_start+0x206/0x280 genl_family_rcv_msg_dumpit.isra.22+0x8a/0xe0 ? genl_family_rcv_msg_attrs_parse.isra.23+0xe0/0xe0 ? genl_op_lock.part.12+0x10/0x10 ? genl_dumpit+0x70/0x70 genl_rcv_msg+0x1d0/0x290 ? nl80211_del_station+0x330/0x330 [cfg80211] ? genl_get_cmd_both+0x50/0x50 netlink_rcv_skb+0x4f/0x100 genl_rcv+0x1f/0x30 netlink_unicast+0x1b6/0x260 netlink_sendmsg+0x31a/0x450 __sock_sendmsg+0xa8/0xb0 ____sys_sendmsg+0x1e4/0x260 ___sys_sendmsg+0x89/0xe0 ? local_clock_noinstr+0xb/0xc0 ? rcu_is_watching+0xd/0x40 ? kfree+0x1de/0x370 ? __sys_sendmsg+0x7a/0xc0 Tested-on: QCN9274 hw2.0 PCI WLAN.WBE.1.4.1-00199-QCAHKSWPL_SILICONZ-1
Statement
The vulnerability allows a local user to trigger a kernel crash by invoking nl80211 commands that send WMI messages after a firmware crash has occurred. Since the host does not properly check the firmware state, invalid accesses lead to kernel stack traces and system instability. This issue does not lead to memory corruption or privilege escalation, and impacts only system availability. The bug is relevant only for the latest version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 (and newer), because in earlier versions the Linux kernel config option CONFIG_ATH12K was disabled.
Mitigation
To mitigate this issue, prevent module ath12k from being loaded. Please see https://access.redhat.com/solutions/41278 for how to blacklist a kernel module to prevent it from loading automatically.
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 | 8.8 |
| Attack Vector | Local | Local | Adjacent Network |
| Attack Complexity | Low | Low | Low |
| Privileges Required | Low | Low | None |
| User Interaction | None | None | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | Unchanged | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | None | None | High |
| Integrity Impact | None | None | High |
| Availability Impact | High | High | High |
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
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Other
Technical Impact: Other; Alter Execution Logic
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