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CVE-2025-38656 (GCVE-0-2025-38656)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2025-08-22 16:00 – Updated: 2026-08-05 12:03
VLAI
Title
wifi: iwlwifi: Fix error code in iwl_op_mode_dvm_start()
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: iwlwifi: Fix error code in iwl_op_mode_dvm_start() Preserve the error code if iwl_setup_deferred_work() fails. The current code returns ERR_PTR(0) (which is NULL) on this path. I believe the missing error code potentially leads to a use after free involving debugfs.
Severity
7.8 (High)
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Assigner
References
Impacted products
Vendor Product Version CPE status
Linux Linux Affected: c0e43c3f6c0a79381b468574c241065998412b7c , < 991e2066f6009d3cb898413058c62dbcc92bd6d2 (git)
Affected: 70a1b527eaea9430b1bd87de59f3b9f6bd225701 , < 1d068272c21d886d06526454b68368100ba0a720 (git)
Affected: 90a0d9f339960448a3acc1437a46730f975efd6a , < cf80c02a9fdb6c5bc8508beb6a0f6a1294fc32f6 (git)
Affected: c80832d445653baba5ac80cd2c2637c437ac881b (git)
Affected: b398120fbe0acfef60b16f6a0f69902d385d7728 (git)
Affected: 2e9f85ee3b46453a2f250a57d3a9f10c70c71202 (git)
Affected: 6663c52608d8d8727bf1911e6d9218069ba1c85e (git)
Affected: ca980f1911a7144d451d1c31298ab8507c6bd88f (git)
Affected: 7dd6350307af6521b6240b295c93b7eec4daebe6 (git)
Affected: 5.4.297 , < 5.5 (semver)
Affected: 5.10.241 , < 5.11 (semver)
Affected: 5.15.190 , < 5.16 (semver)
Affected: 6.1.148 , < 6.2 (semver)
Affected: 6.6.102 , < 6.7 (semver)
Affected: 6.12.42 , < 6.13 (semver)
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          "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nwifi: iwlwifi: Fix error code in iwl_op_mode_dvm_start()\n\nPreserve the error code if iwl_setup_deferred_work() fails.  The current\ncode returns ERR_PTR(0) (which is NULL) on this path.  I believe the\nmissing error code potentially leads to a use after free involving\ndebugfs."
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            "version": "3.1"
          },
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            {
              "lang": "en",
              "value": "AV:L - The vulnerable code is only reachable through the iwlwifi driver\u0027s PCI probe / firmware-load callback and the `iwl_opmode_register()` path when the `iwldvm` module loads \u2014 local module-load or device-bind activity, not any network or wireless frame processing (the radio is not even up at this point).\nAC:L - Reaching the faulty branch requires `alloc_ordered_workqueue()` to fail with ENOMEM at one specific small allocation during a one-shot driver probe; an attacker can raise system-wide memory pressure but cannot influence the timing of a boot-time or hotplug probe, so success depends on conditions outside their control.\nPR:L - Driver probe is normally triggered by root (modprobe, sysfs bind/unbind) or by hotplug, but an unprivileged local user can supply the only other precondition \u2014 memory exhaustion \u2014 while a probe occurs, so basic local user privileges are assumed rather than full root.\nUI:N - No victim action beyond ordinary system operation is needed; the probe path executes automatically at boot, on module autoload, or on device hotplug.\nS:U - The freed objects and the stale debugfs dentry all live in the kernel\u0027s own security authority; no VM, IOMMU, or sandbox boundary is crossed.\nC:H - The commit identifies a resulting use-after-free involving debugfs; `ieee80211_free_hw()` has already freed the `iwl_priv` allocation while `drv-\u003edbgfs_op_mode` still references the orphaned tree, and a UAF on reclaimed slab memory can be leveraged to read attacker-chosen kernel data.\nI:H - The same use-after-free lets a reclaiming allocation overlap the freed object, giving a write primitive over kernel heap state that can be escalated to control-flow corruption.\nA:H - The driver is left in a half-torn-down state with a dangling debugfs reference, and dereferencing freed memory produces an oops/panic \u2014 a full availability loss, on top of the WiFi device being permanently unusable."
            }
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    "dateReserved": "2025-04-16T04:51:24.030Z",
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      "title": "wifi: iwlwifi: Fix error code in iwl_op_mode_dvm_start()",
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      "version": "18"
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Creo que la falta del c\u00f3digo de error podr\u00eda provocar un uso posterior a la liberaci\u00f3n que involucre 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    "redhat_vex": {
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      "current_release_date": "2026-06-30T10:33:35+00:00",
      "cve": "CVE-2025-38656",
      "id": "CVE-2025-38656",
      "initial_release_date": "2025-08-22T00:00:00+00:00",
      "product_status:known_not_affected": "274",
      "source": "Red Hat CSAF VEX",
      "status": "final",
      "title": "kernel: wifi: iwlwifi: Fix error code in iwl_op_mode_dvm_start()",
      "url": "https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2025/cve-2025-38656.json",
      "version": "3"
    },
    "suse_vex": {
      "aggregate_severity": "moderate",
      "current_release_date": "2026-09-02T12:34:27Z",
      "cve": "CVE-2025-38656",
      "id": "CVE-2025-38656",
      "initial_release_date": "2025-08-22T23:28:26Z",
      "product_status:first_fixed": "2",
      "product_status:known_affected": "394",
      "product_status:known_not_affected": "393",
      "product_status:recommended": "509",
      "source": "SUSE CSAF VEX",
      "status": "interim",
      "title": "SUSE CVE CVE-2025-38656",
      "url": "https://ftp.suse.com/pub/projects/security/csaf-vex/cve-2025-38656.json",
      "version": "47"
    }
  }
}



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Forecast uses a logistic model when the trend is rising, or an exponential decay model when the trend is falling. Fitted via linearized least squares.

Sightings

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  • Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
  • Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
  • Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
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  • Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
  • Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
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