CVE-2025-38505: wifi: mwifiex: discard erroneous disassoc frames on STA interface

Published Aug 16, 2025
·
Updated

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

wifi: mwifiex: discard erroneous disassoc frames on STA interface

When operating in concurrent STA/AP mode with host MLME enabled, the firmware incorrectly sends disassociation frames to the STA interface when clients disconnect from the AP interface. This causes kernel warnings as the STA interface processes disconnect events that don't apply to it:

[ 1303.240540] WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 513 at net/wireless/mlme.c:141 cfg80211processdisassoc+0x78/0xec [cfg80211] [ 1303.250861] Modules linked in: 8021q garp stp mrp llc rfcomm bnep btnxpuart nlsiso88591 nlscp437 onboardus [ 1303.327651] CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 513 Comm: kworker/u9:2 Not tainted 6.16.0-rc1+ #3 PREEMPT [ 1303.335937] Hardware name: Toradex Verdin AM62 WB on Verdin Development Board (DT) [ 1303.343588] Workqueue: MWIFIEXRXWORKQUEUE mwifiexrxworkqueue [mwifiex] [ 1303.350856] pstate: 60000005 (nZCv daif -PAN -UAO -TCO -DIT -SSBS BTYPE=--) [ 1303.357904] pc : cfg80211processdisassoc+0x78/0xec [cfg80211] [ 1303.364065] lr : cfg80211processdisassoc+0x70/0xec [cfg80211] [ 1303.370221] sp : ffff800083053be0 [ 1303.373590] x29: ffff800083053be0 x28: 0000000000000000 x27: 0000000000000000 [ 1303.380855] x26: 0000000000000000 x25: 00000000ffffffff x24: ffff000002c5b8ae [ 1303.388120] x23: ffff000002c5b884 x22: 0000000000000001 x21: 0000000000000008 [ 1303.395382] x20: ffff000002c5b8ae x19: ffff0000064dd408 x18: 0000000000000006 [ 1303.402646] x17: 3a36333a61623a30 x16: 32206d6f72662063 x15: ffff800080bfe048 [ 1303.409910] x14: ffff000003625300 x13: 0000000000000001 x12: 0000000000000000 [ 1303.417173] x11: 0000000000000002 x10: ffff000003958600 x9 : ffff000003625300 [ 1303.424434] x8 : ffff00003fd9ef40 x7 : ffff0000039fc280 x6 : 0000000000000002 [ 1303.431695] x5 : ffff0000038976d4 x4 : 0000000000000000 x3 : 0000000000003186 [ 1303.438956] x2 : 000000004836ba20 x1 : 0000000000006986 x0 : 00000000d00479de [ 1303.446221] Call trace: [ 1303.448722] cfg80211processdisassoc+0x78/0xec [cfg80211] (P) [ 1303.454894] cfg80211rxmlmemgmt+0x64/0xf8 [cfg80211] [ 1303.460362] mwifiexprocessmgmtpacket+0x1ec/0x460 [mwifiex] [ 1303.466380] mwifiexprocessstarxpacket+0x1bc/0x2a0 [mwifiex] [ 1303.472573] mwifiexhandlerxpacket+0xb4/0x13c [mwifiex] [ 1303.478243] mwifiexrxworkqueue+0x158/0x198 [mwifiex] [ 1303.483734] processonework+0x14c/0x28c [ 1303.487845] workerthread+0x2cc/0x3d4 [ 1303.491680] kthread+0x12c/0x208 [ 1303.495014] retfromfork+0x10/0x20

Add validation in the STA receive path to verify that disassoc/deauth frames originate from the connected AP. Frames that fail this check are discarded early, preventing them from reaching the MLME layer and triggering WARNON().

This filtering logic is similar with that used in the ieee80211rxmgmtdisassoc() function in mac80211, which drops disassoc frames that don't match the current BSSID (!etheraddrequal(mgmt->bssid, sdata->vif.cfg.apaddr)), ensuring only relevant frames are processed.

Tested on: - 8997 with FW 16.68.1.p197

Affected Software

8 affected components
Linux Kernel
Linux Linux kernel>=6.12<6.12.39
Linux Linux kernel>=6.13<6.15.7
Linux Linux kernel=6.16-rc1
Linux Linux kernel=6.16-rc2
Linux Linux kernel=6.16-rc3
Linux Linux kernel=6.16-rc4
Linux Linux kernel=6.16-rc5

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Upgrade

    Upgrade mwifiex (Linux kernel) to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 6.16.0-rc1+Patch wifi: mwifiex: discard erroneous disassoc frames on STA interface
  2. Upgrade

    Upgrade to a fixed release to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Patch 8997 with FW 16.68.1.p197

Event History

Aug 16, 2025
CVE Published
via MITRE·10:54 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·10:54 AM
DescriptionSeverity
Data Sourced
via NVD·11:15 AM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityAffected Software

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2025-38505?

CVE-2025-38505 is considered to have a medium severity due to potential disruption in network connectivity.

2

How do I fix CVE-2025-38505?

To fix CVE-2025-38505, upgrade to the latest version of the Linux kernel where the vulnerability has been patched.

3

What systems are affected by CVE-2025-38505?

CVE-2025-38505 affects systems running the Linux kernel operating in concurrent STA/AP mode.

4

What is the impact of CVE-2025-38505?

The impact of CVE-2025-38505 could result in incorrect disassociation frames being sent, affecting the synchronization of network operations.

5

Is there a workaround for CVE-2025-38505?

There is no documented workaround for CVE-2025-38505; upgrading the kernel is the recommended solution.

Contact

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