CVE-2025-8301 Memory corruption in RTL8811AU

High 7.8 Published 2 Sep 2025 Updated 3 Sep 2025

Local attackers can escalate privileges to SYSTEM via a heap-based buffer overflow in the Realtek RTL8811AU driver.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Any signed-in user
Attackable: Local or same network only
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: None listed

What is CVE-2025-8301?

CVE-2025-8301 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Realtek RTL8811AU, published on 2 Sep 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

Official description

Realtek RTL8811AU rtwlanu.sys N6CSet_DOT11_CIPHER_DEFAULT_KEY Heap-based Buffer Overflow Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges on affected installations of Realtek RTL8811AU drivers. An attacker must first obtain the ability to execute low-privileged code on the target system in order to exploit this vulnerability.

The specific flaw exists within the N6CSet_DOT11_CIPHER_DEFAULT_KEY function. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of the length of user-supplied data prior to copying it to a fixed-length heap-based buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code in the context of SYSTEM. Was ZDI-CAN-24786.

Weakness: CWE-122

Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-8301?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Realtek Wi-Fi Usb Driver.

How do I fix CVE-2025-8301?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-8301 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

Upgrade to the fixed version. Memory-safe languages, compiler hardening and fuzzing prevent most new cases. More about Memory corruption.

Is CVE-2025-8301 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-8301 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Sources

Also known as GHSA-6rm9-4q77-v87p.