CVE-2025-38513
- Published: 2025-08-16T11:15:44.383
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
wifi: zd1211rw: Fix potential NULL pointer dereference in zd_mac_tx_to_dev()
There is a potential NULL pointer dereference in zd_mac_tx_to_dev(). For
example, the following is possible:
T0 T1
zd_mac_tx_to_dev()
/* len == skb_queue_len(q) */
while (len > ZD_MAC_MAX_ACK_WAITERS) {
filter_ack()
spin_lock_irqsave(&q->lock, flags);
/* position == skb_queue_len(q) */
for (i=1; itype == NL80211_IFTYPE_AP)
skb = __skb_dequeue(q);
spin_unlock_irqrestore(&q->lock, flags);
skb_dequeue() -> NULL
Since there is a small gap between checking skb queue length and skb being
unconditionally dequeued in zd_mac_tx_to_dev(), skb_dequeue() can return NULL.
Then the pointer is passed to zd_mac_tx_status() where it is dereferenced.
In order to avoid potential NULL pointer dereference due to situations like
above, check if skb is not NULL before passing it to zd_mac_tx_status().
Found by Linux Verification Center (linuxtesting.org) with SVACE.
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How to fix CVE-2025-38513
Description: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: zd1211rw: Fix potential NULL pointer dereference in zd_mac_tx_to_dev() There is a potential NULL pointer dereference in zd_mac_tx_to_dev(). For example, the following is possible: T0 T1 zd_mac_tx_to_dev() /* len == skb_queue_len(q) */ while (len > ZD_MAC_MAX_ACK_WAITERS) { filter_ack() spin_lock_irqsave(&q->lock, flags); /* position == skb_queue_len(q) */ […]
Exploit Difficulty: HARD
⏱️ Time to exploit: > 4 hours
🛠️ Required skills: Advanced security expertise
💰 Public exploits: Rare or not public
How to Fix:
- Check if you're running the affected product
- Update to the latest patched version
- If patching is not immediately possible: restrict network exposure, apply least-privilege access
- Test the fix in a staging environment first
- Review logs for signs of exploitation
- Monitor for IOCs (Indicators of Compromise)
- Enable automatic security updates
- Set up vulnerability monitoring
- Review and harden security configurations
Exploit Difficulty Assessment
Vulnerability Timeline
CVE details first published to NVD database
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No vendor/product data available.