# 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.

- **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:** 1 Apr 2025
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2026
- **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

## 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 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-21979?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-21979?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## 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

- [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-2025-21979 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: 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.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-21979 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-2025-21979/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-21979/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-21979
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-21979
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-21979

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-21979/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.