CVE-2025-71297 wifi: rtw88: 8822b: Avoid WARNING in rtw8822b_config_trx_mode()
A local attacker can trigger a kernel warning and potential instability by setting antenna configuration while the WiFi chip is powered off.
- 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-2025-71297?
CVE-2025-71297 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 8 May 2026. 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: rtw88: 8822b: Avoid WARNING in rtw8822b_config_trx_mode()
rtw8822b_set_antenna() can be called from userspace when the chip is powered off. In that case a WARNING is triggered in rtw8822b_config_trx_mode() because trying to read the RF registers when the chip is powered off returns an unexpected value.
Call rtw8822b_config_trx_mode() in rtw8822b_set_antenna() only when the chip is powered on.
------------[ cut here ]------------ write RF mode table fail WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 7183 at rtw8822b.c:824 rtw8822b_config_trx_mode.constprop.0+0x835/0x840 [rtw88_8822b] CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 7183 Comm: iw Tainted: G W OE 6.17.5-arch1-1 #1 PREEMPT(full) 01c39fc421df2af799dd5e9180b572af860b40c1 Tainted: [W]=WARN, [O]=OOT_MODULE, [E]=UNSIGNED_MODULE Hardware name: LENOVO 82KR/LNVNB161216, BIOS HBCN18WW 08/27/2021 RIP: 0010:rtw8822b_config_trx_mode.constprop.0+0x835/0x840 [rtw88_8822b] Call Trace: <TASK> rtw8822b_set_antenna+0x57/0x70 [rtw88_8822b 370206f42e5890d8d5f48eb358b759efa37c422b] rtw_ops_set_antenna+0x50/0x80 [rtw88_core 711c8fb4f686162be4625b1d0b8e8c6a5ac850fb] ieee80211_set_antenna+0x60/0x100 [mac80211 f1845d85d2ecacf3b71867635a050ece90486cf3] nl80211_set_wiphy+0x384/0xe00 [cfg80211 296485ee85696d2150309a6d21a7fbca83d3dbda] ? netdev_run_todo+0x63/0x550 genl_family_rcv_msg_doit+0xfc/0x160 genl_rcv_msg+0x1aa/0x2b0 ? __pfx_nl80211_pre_doit+0x10/0x10 [cfg80211 296485ee85696d2150309a6d21a7fbca83d3dbda] ? __pfx_nl80211_set_wiphy+0x10/0x10 [cfg80211 296485ee85696d2150309a6d21a7fbca83d3dbda] ? __pfx_nl80211_post_doit+0x10/0x10 [cfg80211 296485ee85696d2150309a6d21a7fbca83d3dbda] ? __pfx_genl_rcv_msg+0x10/0x10 netlink_rcv_skb+0x59/0x110 genl_rcv+0x28/0x40 netlink_unicast+0x285/0x3c0 ? __alloc_skb+0xdb/0x1a0 netlink_sendmsg+0x20d/0x430 ____sys_sendmsg+0x39f/0x3d0 ? import_iovec+0x2f/0x40 ___sys_sendmsg+0x99/0xe0 ? refill_obj_stock+0x12e/0x240 __sys_sendmsg+0x8a/0xf0 do_syscall_64+0x81/0x970 ? do_syscall_64+0x81/0x970 ? ksys_read+0x73/0xf0 ? do_syscall_64+0x81/0x970 ? count_memcg_events+0xc2/0x190 ? handle_mm_fault+0x1d7/0x2d0 ? do_user_addr_fault+0x21a/0x690 ? exc_page_fault+0x7e/0x1a0 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e </TASK> ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]---
Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-71297?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2025-71297?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade, then put limits on request size, rate and nesting depth so one client cannot exhaust the service. More about Denial of service.
Is CVE-2025-71297 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-71297 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2025-71297, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-71297, GHSA-6742-4ch2-g86j, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2025-71297, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2025-71297, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-71297 and 1 more.