CVE-2025-38121

wifi: iwlwifi: mld: avoid panic on init failure

Published Jul 3, 2025 CVSS 3.1 · 5.5 Medium EPSS < 1% KEV · Not listed
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

wifi: iwlwifi: mld: avoid panic on init failure

In case of an error during init, in_hw_restart will be set, but it will
never get cleared.
Instead, we will retry to init again, and then we will act like we are in a
restart when we are actually not.

This causes (among others) to a NULL pointer dereference when canceling
rx_omi::finished_work, that was not even initialized, because we thought
that we are in hw_restart.

Set in_hw_restart to true only if the fw is running, then we know that
FW was loaded successfully and we are not going to the retry loop.

Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record

Tracking

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Advisories

Source ID Title
EUVD EUVD EUVD-2025-19822 In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: iwlwifi: mld: avoid panic on init failure In case of an error during init, in_hw_restart will be set, but it will never get cleared. Instead, we will retry to init again, and then we will act like we are in a restart when we are actually not. This causes (among others) to a NULL pointer dereference when canceling rx_omi::finished_work, that was not even initialized, because we thought that we are in hw_restart. Set in_hw_restart to true only if the fw is running, then we know that FW was loaded successfully and we are not going to the retry loop.
History
Type Values Removed Values Added
Weaknesses CWE-476
CPEs cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Type Values Removed Values Added
References
Metrics threat_severity

None

cvssV3_1

{'score': 5.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}

threat_severity

Moderate

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: iwlwifi: mld: avoid panic on init failure In case of an error during init, in_hw_restart will be set, but it will never get cleared. Instead, we will retry to init again, and then we will act like we are in a restart when we are actually not. This causes (among others) to a NULL pointer dereference when canceling rx_omi::finished_work, that was not even initialized, because we thought that we are in hw_restart. Set in_hw_restart to true only if the fw is running, then we know that FW was loaded successfully and we are not going to the retry loop.
Title wifi: iwlwifi: mld: avoid panic on init failure
References
Weaknesses

Sources

Status
PUBLISHED
Assigner
Linux
Published
Updated
May 11, 2026, 9:21 PM
Reserved
Apr 16, 2025, 4:51 AM
Status
Analyzed
Published
Jul 3, 2025, 9:15 AM
Modified
Jun 17, 2026, 9:16 AM
Severity
Moderate
Public date
Jul 3, 2025, 12:00 AM