CVE-2025-38606: wifi: ath12k: Avoid accessing uninitialized arvif->ar during beacon miss

Published Aug 19, 2025
·
Updated

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

wifi: ath12k: Avoid accessing uninitialized arvif->ar during beacon miss

During beacon miss handling, ath12k driver iterates over active virtual interfaces (vifs) and attempts to access the radio object (ar) via arvif->deflink->ar.

However, after commit aa80f12f3bed ("wifi: ath12k: defer vdev creation for MLO"), arvif is linked to a radio only after vdev creation, typically when a channel is assigned or a scan is requested. For P2P capable devices, a default P2P interface is created by wpasupplicant along with regular station interfaces, these serve as dummy interfaces for P2P-capable stations, lack an associated netdev and initiate frequent scans to discover neighbor p2p devices. When a scan is initiated on such P2P vifs, driver selects destination radio (ar) based on scan frequency, creates a scan vdev, and attaches arvif to the radio. Once the scan completes or is aborted, the scan vdev is deleted, detaching arvif from the radio and leaving arvif->ar uninitialized.

While handling beacon miss for station interfaces, P2P interface is also encountered in the vif iteration and ath12kmachandlebeaconmissiter() tries to dereference the uninitialized arvif->deflink->ar.

Fix this by verifying that vdev is created for the arvif before accessing its ar during beacon miss handling and similar vif iterator callbacks.

========================================================================== wlp6s0: detected beacon loss from AP (missed 7 beacons) - probing KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000010-0x0000000000000017]

CPU: 5 UID: 0 PID: 0 Comm: swapper/5 Not tainted 6.16.0-rc1-wt-ath+ #2 PREEMPT(full) RIP: 0010:ath12kmachandlebeaconmissiter+0xb5/0x1a0 [ath12k] Call Trace: iterateinterfaces+0x11a/0x410 [mac80211] ieee80211iterateactiveinterfacesatomic+0x61/0x140 [mac80211] ath12kmachandlebeaconmiss+0xa1/0xf0 [ath12k] ath12kroamevent+0x393/0x560 [ath12k] ath12kwmioprx+0x1486/0x28c0 [ath12k] ath12khtcprocesstrailer.isra.0+0x2fb/0x620 [ath12k] ath12khtcrxcompletionhandler+0x448/0x830 [ath12k] ath12kcerecvprocesscb+0x549/0x9e0 [ath12k] ath12kceperengineservice+0xbe/0xf0 [ath12k] ath12kpciceworkqueue+0x69/0x120 [ath12k] processonework+0xe3a/0x1430

Tested-on: QCN9274 hw2.0 PCI WLAN.WBE.1.4.1-00199-QCAHKSWPLSILICONZ-1 Tested-on: WCN7850 hw2.0 PCI WLAN.HMT.1.1.c5-00284.1-QCAHMTSWPLV1.0V2.0SILICONZ-3

Affected Software

102 affected componentsFixes available
Linux Kernel
Linux Linux kernel>=6.14<6.15.10
Linux Linux kernel>=6.16<6.16.1
linux/kernel>=6.14.0<6.15.10
6.15.10
linux/kernel>=6.16.0<6.16.1
6.16.1
ubuntu/linux-hwe-edge*
ubuntu/linux-aws-5.0*
ubuntu/linux-aws-5.3*
ubuntu/linux-azure*
ubuntu/linux-azure-5.3*
ubuntu/linux-azure-edge*
ubuntu/linux-gcp*
ubuntu/linux-gcp-5.3*
ubuntu/linux-gke-4.15*
ubuntu/linux-gke-5.4*
ubuntu/linux-gkeop-5.4*
ubuntu/linux-hwe*
ubuntu/linux-hwe-edge*
ubuntu/linux-oem*
ubuntu/linux-oracle-5.0*
ubuntu/linux-oracle-5.3*
ubuntu/linux-aws-5.11*
ubuntu/linux-aws-5.13*
ubuntu/linux-aws-5.8*
ubuntu/linux-azure-5.11*
ubuntu/linux-azure-5.13*
ubuntu/linux-azure-5.8*
ubuntu/linux-azure-fde*
ubuntu/linux-gcp-5.11*
ubuntu/linux-gcp-5.13*
ubuntu/linux-gcp-5.8*
ubuntu/linux-gke*
ubuntu/linux-gke-5.15*
ubuntu/linux-gkeop*
ubuntu/linux-gkeop-5.15*
ubuntu/linux-hwe-5.11*
ubuntu/linux-hwe-5.13*
ubuntu/linux-hwe-5.8*
ubuntu/linux-intel-5.13*
ubuntu/linux-oem-5.10*
ubuntu/linux-oem-5.13*
ubuntu/linux-oem-5.6*
ubuntu/linux-oracle-5.11*
ubuntu/linux-oracle-5.13*
ubuntu/linux-oracle-5.8*
ubuntu/linux-raspi2*
ubuntu/linux-riscv*
ubuntu/linux-riscv-5.11*
ubuntu/linux-riscv-5.8*
ubuntu/linux-allwinner-5.19*
ubuntu/linux-aws-5.19*
ubuntu/linux-aws-6.2*
ubuntu/linux-aws-6.5*
ubuntu/linux-azure-5.19*
ubuntu/linux-azure-6.2*
ubuntu/linux-azure-6.5*
ubuntu/linux-azure-fde-5.19*
ubuntu/linux-azure-fde-6.2*
ubuntu/linux-gcp-5.19*
ubuntu/linux-gcp-6.2*
ubuntu/linux-gcp-6.5*
ubuntu/linux-hwe-5.19*
ubuntu/linux-hwe-6.2*
ubuntu/linux-hwe-6.5*
ubuntu/linux-intel-iot-realtime*
ubuntu/linux-lowlatency-hwe-5.19*
ubuntu/linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.2*
ubuntu/linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.5*
ubuntu/linux-nvidia-6.2*
ubuntu/linux-nvidia-6.5*
ubuntu/linux-oem-5.17*
ubuntu/linux-oem-6.0*
ubuntu/linux-oem-6.1*
ubuntu/linux-oem-6.5*
ubuntu/linux-oracle-6.5*
ubuntu/linux-realtime*
ubuntu/linux-riscv*
ubuntu/linux-riscv-5.19*
ubuntu/linux-riscv-6.5*
ubuntu/linux-starfive-5.19*
ubuntu/linux-starfive-6.2*
ubuntu/linux-starfive-6.5*
ubuntu/linux-aws-6.14<6.14.0-1017.17~24.04.1
6.14.0-1017.17~24.04.1
ubuntu/linux-azure-6.11*
ubuntu/linux-azure-6.14<6.14.0-1017.17~24.04.1
6.14.0-1017.17~24.04.1
ubuntu/linux-azure-fde-6.14*
ubuntu/linux-azure-nvidia-6.14*
ubuntu/linux-gcp-6.11*
ubuntu/linux-gcp-6.14<6.14.0-1020.21~24.04.1
6.14.0-1020.21~24.04.1
ubuntu/linux-hwe-6.11*
ubuntu/linux-intel*
ubuntu/linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.11*
ubuntu/linux-oem-6.14<6.14.0-1016.16
6.14.0-1016.16
ubuntu/linux-oem-6.8*
ubuntu/linux-oracle-6.14<6.14.0-1017.17~24.04.1
6.14.0-1017.17~24.04.1
ubuntu/linux-raspi-realtime*
ubuntu/linux-realtime*
ubuntu/linux-riscv*
ubuntu/linux-riscv-6.14<6.14.0-36.36.1~24.04.1
6.14.0-36.36.1~24.04.1
ubuntu/linux-realtime-6.14<6.14.0-1016.16~24.04.1
6.14.0-1016.16~24.04.1
ubuntu/linux-azure-fde*
ubuntu/linux-vmware*

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Upgrade

    Upgrade linux/Kernel to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 6.15.10
  2. Upgrade

    Upgrade linux/Kernel to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 6.16.1
  3. Upgrade

    Upgrade ubuntu/linux-aws-6.14 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 6.14.0-1017.17~24.04.1
  4. Upgrade

    Upgrade ubuntu/linux-azure-6.14 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 6.14.0-1017.17~24.04.1
  5. Upgrade

    Upgrade ubuntu/linux-gcp-6.14 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 6.14.0-1020.21~24.04.1
  6. Upgrade

    Upgrade ubuntu/linux-oem-6.14 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 6.14.0-1016.16
  7. Upgrade

    Upgrade ubuntu/linux-oracle-6.14 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 6.14.0-1017.17~24.04.1
  8. Upgrade

    Upgrade ubuntu/linux-riscv-6.14 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 6.14.0-36.36.1~24.04.1
  9. Upgrade

    Upgrade ubuntu/linux-realtime-6.14 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 6.14.0-1016.16~24.04.1
  10. Compensating control

    Modify ath12k beacon miss handling and similar virtual-interface iterator callbacks to verify that a vdev has been created for the arvif before accessing arvif->deflink->ar.

Event History

Aug 19, 2025
CVE Published
via MITRE·05:03 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·05:03 PM
Description
Data Sourced
via OSV·05:03 PM
DescriptionAffected Software
Data Sourced
via NVD·05:15 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
Nov 11, 2026
Data Sourced
via OSV·09:39 AM
Severity

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2025-38606?

CVE-2025-38606 has been rated as a medium severity vulnerability due to potential exposure of uninitialized data.

2

How do I fix CVE-2025-38606?

To fix CVE-2025-38606, users should update to the latest stable version of the Linux kernel that addresses this vulnerability.

3

What component is affected by CVE-2025-38606?

CVE-2025-38606 affects the ath12k driver in the Linux kernel.

4

What are the potential consequences of CVE-2025-38606?

Exploitation of CVE-2025-38606 may lead to unintended behavior in the wireless network functionality of affected systems.

5

Is CVE-2025-38606 present in all versions of the Linux kernel?

No, CVE-2025-38606 is not present in all kernel versions; it affects specific releases where the ath12k driver is included.

Contact

SecAlerts Pty Ltd.
132 Wickham Terrace
Fortitude Valley,
QLD 4006, Australia
info@secalerts.co
By using SecAlerts services, you agree to our services end-user license agreement. This website is safeguarded by reCAPTCHA and governed by the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. All names, logos, and brands of products are owned by their respective owners, and any usage of these names, logos, and brands for identification purposes only does not imply endorsement. If you possess any content that requires removal, please get in touch with us.
© 2026 SecAlerts Pty Ltd.
ABN: 70 645 966 203, ACN: 645 966 203