# CVE-2025-21744: wifi: brcmfmac: fix NULL pointer dereference in brcmf_txfinalize()

> A NULL pointer dereference in the brcmfmac Wi-Fi driver can cause a kernel crash during device removal or module unloading.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 Feb 2025
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-57914, BELL-CVE-2025-21744, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-21744, GHSA-xqj4-x748-chwg, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-21744, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-21744

## What is CVE-2025-21744?

CVE-2025-21744 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 27 Feb 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:

wifi: brcmfmac: fix NULL pointer dereference in brcmf_txfinalize()

On removal of the device or unloading of the kernel module a potential NULL
pointer dereference occurs.

The following sequence deletes the interface:

  brcmf_detach()
    brcmf_remove_interface()
      brcmf_del_if()

Inside the brcmf_del_if() function the drvr->if2bss[ifidx] is updated to
BRCMF_BSSIDX_INVALID (-1) if the bsscfgidx matches.

After brcmf_remove_interface() call the brcmf_proto_detach() function is
called providing the following sequence:

  brcmf_detach()
    brcmf_proto_detach()
      brcmf_proto_msgbuf_detach()
        brcmf_flowring_detach()
          brcmf_msgbuf_delete_flowring()
            brcmf_msgbuf_remove_flowring()
              brcmf_flowring_delete()
                brcmf_get_ifp()
                brcmf_txfinalize()

Since brcmf_get_ip() can and actually will return NULL in this case the
call to brcmf_txfinalize() will result in a NULL pointer dereference inside
brcmf_txfinalize() when trying to update ifp->ndev->stats.tx_errors.

This will only happen if a flowring still has an skb.

Although the NULL pointer dereference has only been seen when trying to
update the tx statistic, all other uses of the ifp pointer have been
guarded as well with an early return if ifp is NULL.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-21744?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-21744?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-21744 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-21744 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-2025-21744 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-21744 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 27 Feb 2025. 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-2025-21744 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-2025-21744/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-21744/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-21744
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-21744
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-21744

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-21744/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.