CVE-2024-58238 Bluetooth: btnxpuart: Resolve TX timeout error in power save stress test
A race condition in the Linux kernel btnxpuart driver causes TX timeouts during power save stress tests, leading to Bluetooth denial of service.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2024-58238?
CVE-2024-58238 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 9 Aug 2025. 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:
Bluetooth: btnxpuart: Resolve TX timeout error in power save stress test
This fixes the tx timeout issue seen while running a stress test on btnxpuart for couple of hours, such that the interval between two HCI commands coincide with the power save timeout value of 2 seconds.
Test procedure using bash script: <load btnxpuart.ko> hciconfig hci0 up //Enable Power Save feature hcitool -i hci0 cmd 3f 23 02 00 00 while (true) do hciconfig hci0 leadv sleep 2 hciconfig hci0 noleadv sleep 2 done
Error log, after adding few more debug prints: Bluetooth: btnxpuart_queue_skb(): 01 0A 20 01 00 Bluetooth: hci0: Set UART break: on, status=0 Bluetooth: hci0: btnxpuart_tx_wakeup() tx_work scheduled Bluetooth: hci0: btnxpuart_tx_work() dequeue: 01 0A 20 01 00 Can't set advertise mode on hci0: Connection timed out (110) Bluetooth: hci0: command 0x200a tx timeout
When the power save mechanism turns on UART break, and btnxpuart_tx_work() is scheduled simultaneously, psdata->ps_state is read as PS_STATE_AWAKE, which prevents the psdata->work from being scheduled, which is responsible to turn OFF UART break.
This issue is fixed by adding a ps_lock mutex around UART break on/off as well as around ps_state read/write. btnxpuart_tx_wakeup() will now read updated ps_state value. If ps_state is PS_STATE_SLEEP, it will first schedule psdata->work, and then it will reschedule itself once UART break has been turned off and ps_state is PS_STATE_AWAKE.
Tested above script for 50,000 iterations and TX timeout error was not observed anymore.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-58238?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2024-58238?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Is CVE-2024-58238 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-58238 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2024-58238, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-58238, GHSA-r4f5-ch72-xjwq, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2024-58238, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2024-58238, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2024-58238 and 1 more.