# CVE-2025-38290: wifi: ath12k: fix node corruption in ar->arvifs list

> A race condition in the ath12k WiFi driver causes kernel panic during WLAN recovery, leading to denial of service.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 10 Jul 2025
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2025-38290, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-38290, GHSA-rq3x-gg6j-x3rg, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-38290, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-38290

## What is CVE-2025-38290?

CVE-2025-38290 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 10 Jul 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: ath12k: fix node corruption in ar->arvifs list

In current WLAN recovery code flow, ath12k_core_halt() only reinitializes
the "arvifs" list head. This will cause the list node immediately following
the list head to become an invalid list node. Because the prev of that node
still points to the list head "arvifs", but the next of the list head
"arvifs" no longer points to that list node.

When a WLAN recovery occurs during the execution of a vif removal, and it
happens before the spin_lock_bh(&ar->data_lock) in
ath12k_mac_vdev_delete(), list_del() will detect the previously mentioned
situation, thereby triggering a kernel panic.

The fix is to remove and reinitialize all vif list nodes from the list head
"arvifs" during WLAN halt. The reinitialization is to make the list nodes
valid, ensuring that the list_del() in ath12k_mac_vdev_delete() can execute
normally.

Call trace:
__list_del_entry_valid_or_report+0xd4/0x100 (P)
ath12k_mac_remove_link_interface.isra.0+0xf8/0x2e4 [ath12k]
ath12k_scan_vdev_clean_work+0x40/0x164 [ath12k]
cfg80211_wiphy_work+0xfc/0x100
process_one_work+0x164/0x2d0
worker_thread+0x254/0x380
kthread+0xfc/0x100
ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20

The change is mostly copied from the ath11k patch:
https://lore.kernel.org/all/20250320053145.3445187-1-quic_stonez@quicinc.com/

Tested-on: QCN9274 hw2.0 PCI WLAN.WBE.1.4.1-00199-QCAHKSWPL_SILICONZ-1

Weakness: CWE-672 (Operation on a Resource after Expiration or Release), CWE-362 (Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38290?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-38290?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-38290 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38290 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-2025-38290 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-38290 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 10 Jul 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-2025-38290 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-2025-38290/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38290/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-38290
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-38290
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-38290

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38290/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.