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Vulnerability DatabaseCVE-2025-38291

CVE-2025-38291: 
Linux Kernel vulnerability analysis and mitigation

Overview

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's ath12k WiFi driver was discovered and assigned CVE-2025-38291. The issue was disclosed on July 10, 2025, affecting the kernel's handling of WMI commands during firmware crash recovery. The vulnerability specifically impacts the QCN9274 hw2.0 PCI WLAN hardware running WLAN.WBE.1.4.1-00199-QCAHKSWPL_SILICONZ-1 firmware (NVD).

Technical details

The vulnerability occurs when the host sends WMI commands to the firmware while it is in recovery mode after a crash. This results in command failures and generates kernel call traces. The technical issue stems from improper handling of the firmware recovery state, where the host continues to send commands despite the firmware being in an unstable state (NVD).

Impact

When exploited, this vulnerability causes kernel call traces and potential system instability. The issue affects the WiFi functionality of systems using the ath12k driver, particularly during firmware crash recovery scenarios (NVD).

Mitigation and workarounds

The fix involves setting the ATH12KFLAGCRASHFLUSH and ATH12KFLAG_RECOVERY flags when the host driver receives the firmware crash notification from MHI. This prevents the sending of WMI commands to the firmware during the recovery process (NVD).

Additional resources

Source: This report was generated using AI

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