# CVE-2024-53188: wifi: ath12k: fix crash when unbinding

> A null pointer dereference in the ath12k WiFi driver causes a kernel crash when unbinding a device after a firmware initialization error.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 27 Dec 2024
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-55631, BELL-CVE-2024-53188, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-53188, GHSA-fpcp-87j2-pf32, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-53188

## What is CVE-2024-53188?

CVE-2024-53188 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 27 Dec 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

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

wifi: ath12k: fix crash when unbinding

If there is an error during some initialization related to firmware,
the function ath12k_dp_cc_cleanup is called to release resources.
However this is released again when the device is unbinded (ath12k_pci),
and we get:
BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000020
at RIP: 0010:ath12k_dp_cc_cleanup.part.0+0xb6/0x500 [ath12k]
Call Trace:
ath12k_dp_cc_cleanup
ath12k_dp_free
ath12k_core_deinit
ath12k_pci_remove
...

The issue is always reproducible from a VM because the MSI addressing
initialization is failing.

In order to fix the issue, just set to NULL the released structure in
ath12k_dp_cc_cleanup at the end.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-53188?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-53188?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-53188 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-53188 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-53188 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-53188 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 27 Dec 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-53188 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-53188/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-53188/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-53188
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-53188
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-53188

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-53188/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.