# CVE-2025-38605: wifi: ath12k: Pass ab pointer directly to ath12k_dp_tx_get_encap_type()

> A null pointer dereference in the ath12k WiFi driver can cause a kernel panic during vdev deletion, leading to denial of service.

- **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:** 19 Aug 2025
- **Updated:** 21 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2025-38605, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-38605, GHSA-6q42-8x5p-5c72, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-13-CVE-2025-38605, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-38605, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-38605

## What is CVE-2025-38605?

CVE-2025-38605 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 19 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:

wifi: ath12k: Pass ab pointer directly to ath12k_dp_tx_get_encap_type()

In ath12k_dp_tx_get_encap_type(), the arvif parameter is only used to
retrieve the ab pointer. In vdev delete sequence the arvif->ar could
become NULL and that would trigger kernel panic.
Since the caller ath12k_dp_tx() already has a valid ab pointer, pass it
directly to avoid panic and unnecessary dereferencing.

PC points to "ath12k_dp_tx+0x228/0x988 [ath12k]"
LR points to "ath12k_dp_tx+0xc8/0x988 [ath12k]".
The Backtrace obtained is as follows:
ath12k_dp_tx+0x228/0x988 [ath12k]
ath12k_mac_tx_check_max_limit+0x608/0x920 [ath12k]
ieee80211_process_measurement_req+0x320/0x348 [mac80211]
ieee80211_tx_dequeue+0x9ac/0x1518 [mac80211]
ieee80211_tx_dequeue+0xb14/0x1518 [mac80211]
ieee80211_tx_prepare_skb+0x224/0x254 [mac80211]
ieee80211_xmit+0xec/0x100 [mac80211]
__ieee80211_subif_start_xmit+0xc50/0xf40 [mac80211]
ieee80211_subif_start_xmit+0x2e8/0x308 [mac80211]
netdev_start_xmit+0x150/0x18c
dev_hard_start_xmit+0x74/0xc0

Tested-on: QCN9274 hw2.0 PCI WLAN.WBE.1.3.1-00173-QCAHKSWPL_SILICONZ-1

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38605?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-38605?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-38605 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38605 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-2025-38605 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-38605 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 19 Aug 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-2025-38605 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-2025-38605/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38605/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-38605
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-38605
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-38605

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38605/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.