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CVE-2026-74367
wifi: ath12k: fix inconsistent arvif state in vdev_create error paths
Published 2026-08-15 (2 months ago) by the Linux kernel CNA. Subsystem drivers/net. Debian urgency: unimportant.
What to do, per Debian release
Debian's own status for CVE-2026-74367 in every release this site tracks, and what each one means in practice. Every status below is the one the Debian Security Team publishes for this CVE. source
| Release | Status | Version | What this means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 12bookworm | not affected | 6.1.190-1 | Nothing to do. bookworm never shipped the vulnerable code. |
| Debian 13trixie | not affected | 6.12.113-1 | Nothing to do. trixie never shipped the vulnerable code. |
| Debian 14forky | fixed | 7.1.5-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. Fixed in 7.1.5-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
| Debian unstablesid | fixed | 7.1.5-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. Fixed in 7.1.5-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
The vulnerability
What the bug is
ath12k_mac_vdev_create() has three error path issues that leave arvif in an inconsistent state: 1. When ath12k_wmi_vdev_create() fails, the function returns directly without clearing arvif->ar, which was already set before the WMI call. Subsequent code checking arvif->ar to determine vdev readiness will see a non-NULL value despite no vdev existing in firmware. 2. When ath12k_wmi_send_peer_delete_cmd() fails in err_peer_del, the code jumped to err: skipping the DP peer cleanup and vdev rollback, leaving num_created_vdevs, vdev maps and arvif list membership live. 3. When ath12k_wait_for_peer_delete_done() fails, the code jumped to err_vdev_del: skipping the DP peer cleanup. Fix by changing the ath12k_wmi_vdev_create() failure to goto err instead of returning directly, routing both err_peer_del failure paths through err_dp_peer_del: for proper DP peer and vdev rollback, and consolidating the arvif state cleanup at err:. Tested-on: WCN7850 hw2.0 PCI WLAN.HMT.1.1.c5-00302-QCAHMTSWPL_V1.0_V2.0_SILICONZ-1.115823.3
Where it lives
The fix touches these files. If the subsystem is one you do not use, the practical exposure is lower, though the package is still the vulnerable one.
drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath12k/mac.c
- What this is
- QUALCOMM ATH12K WIRELESS DRIVERMAINTAINERS section matched on drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath12k/ · linux-wireless@vger.kernel.org · Supported
- Kernel module
- ath12k
Check it on the machine
grep -wE 'CONFIG_ATH12K|CONFIG_WLAN|CONFIG_WLAN_VENDOR_ATH' /boot/config-$(uname -r)Reads the booted kernel's own configuration, on the machine and nowhere else. =y is built in, =m is a module, and an is not set line means the code is not there.
lsmod | grep -w ath12kPrints a line if that module is loaded right now, and nothing if it is not. One that is not loaded can still be loaded later by anything that needs it.
Show whether Debian builds this, per release
Debian builds this, but not on every flavour. At least one release below builds the code on some of its kernel flavours and not on others, so the answer depends on the architecture and flavour installed. The build rule could not be established for 1 release, so nothing is claimed about those.
- bookworm?
- trixieMnot built on amd64/cloud-amd64, arm64/cloud-arm64, armel/rpi, s390x/s390x
- forky, sidMnot built on amd64/cloud-amd64, arm64/cloud-arm64, s390x/s390x
- ?
- not established - no Makefile entry for the affected file
- M
- a module where it is built at all; some flavours do not build it
Where a release above reads "not established", no build rule for the affected file was found in that release's kernel tree. That is a gap in this lookup, not a finding that the code is absent.
- Build switches
- CONFIG_ATH12K, CONFIG_WLAN, CONFIG_WLAN_VENDOR_ATH
- Reads as
- all on means the file is compiled; any one off means it is not.
From the configuration Debian publishes for every kernel flavour it builds. It covers only the architectures Debian ships a linux-config package for, and nothing about a kernel you built yourself. Debian's own status above stays authoritative about the source package.MAINTAINERS kbuild Makefiles Debian linux-config packages
Signals
- Published
- 2026-08-15 (2 months ago)source
- CVSS
- 7.8 high
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:Hsource recompute it - Attack vector
- local (AV:L)source
- EPSS
- 0.17%, higher than 6.3% of all CVEssource
- CISA KEV
- not listedthe KEV catalogue
- Debian urgency
- unimportantsource
- Subsystem
- drivers/net
Upstream fixes
The versions the CNA records as introducing and fixing this, and the commit for each. source
| Introduced | Fixed in | Commit |
|---|---|---|
| 6.13 | 6.18.57 | c09314b8b4c6 |
| 6.13 | 7.1.5 | e0140e094b19 |
| 6.13 | 7.2 | c972636efc63 |
Why the CNA scored it this way
Quoted from the kernel CNA's own scoring file, word for word. A highlighted metric carries the most severe value CVSS v3.1 defines for it, which is what pushes the score up. source
- AV:LAttack vector, local
- ath12k_mac_vdev_create() is only reached from mac80211 driver callbacks (assign_vif_chanctx, hw_scan, remain_on_channel) invoked by nl80211/generic-netlink WiFi management commands, not from remote WiFi frame processing.
- AC:LAttack complexity, low
- An attacker with CAP_NET_ADMIN can repeatedly create AP/scan interfaces and race teardown to stress firmware WMI commands, reliably provoking vdev_create or peer-delete failures/timeouts on error rollback paths they control.
- PR:LPrivileges required, low
- Triggering vdev creation requires nl80211 operations (NEW_INTERFACE, START_AP, TRIGGER_SCAN) gated by GENL_UNS_ADMIN_PERM; this capability is obtainable by an unprivileged user inside a user+network namespace via unshare -Urn.
- UI:NUser interaction, none
- Exploitation requires no action by another user; the attacker directly issues the nl80211 interface/scan operations that drive ath12k_mac_vdev_create() and its faulty error paths.
- S:UScope, unchanged
- The bug corrupts ath12k driver/kernel state on the same host; it does not cross a VM, container, or IOMMU security boundary to affect a separate security authority.
- C:HConfidentiality impact, high
- Incomplete rollback leaves orphaned DP peers and stale vdev/arvif bookkeeping while firmware objects remain live, enabling heap corruption that can be leveraged for arbitrary kernel memory reads.
- I:HIntegrity impact, high
- Inconsistent is_created, vdev maps, and arvif list membership with uncleared DP peers permits subsequent driver operations on stale objects, enabling heap corruption and potential arbitrary kernel write or code execution.
- A:HAvailability impact, high
- Error paths can leave is_created true with arvif->ar NULL while the arvif stays on arvifs; later nl80211-driven callbacks dereference arvif->ar unchecked, causing kernel NULL pointer oops/panic and persistent WiFi DoS.