CVE-2025-21979 wifi: cfg80211: cancel wiphy_work before freeing wiphy
A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel WiFi subsystem allows attackers to cause denial of service or execute arbitrary code.
- 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
What is CVE-2025-21979?
CVE-2025-21979 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 1 Apr 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: cfg80211: cancel wiphy_work before freeing wiphy
A wiphy_work can be queued from the moment the wiphy is allocated and initialized (i.e. wiphy_new_nm). When a wiphy_work is queued, the rdev::wiphy_work is getting queued.
If wiphy_free is called before the rdev::wiphy_work had a chance to run, the wiphy memory will be freed, and then when it eventally gets to run it'll use invalid memory.
Fix this by canceling the work before freeing the wiphy.
Weakness: CWE-416
Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-21979?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2025-21979?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade to the fixed version. These bugs are found with fuzzing and sanitisers and avoided by memory-safe languages. More about Use after free.
Is CVE-2025-21979 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-21979 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2025-21979, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-21979, GHSA-4hrq-jxxx-hj3h, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-21979, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-21979.