Kernel crash via ath11k pktlog use-after-free
Published May 21, 2024 · Updated May 11, 2026
Use-after-free in the Linux kernel ath11k driver before 6.7 allows local users with high privileges to crash the system via HTT packet logging. The HTT pktlog path calls ath11k_mac_get_ar_by_pdev_id() while active pdev objects are RCU-protected, but omits the read-side critical section needed to keep the returned object alive. Reachability requires high local privileges, an ath11k device, and packet logging; the bounded published impact is a kernel crash without data disclosure or modification.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in the Linux kernel ath11k driver before 6.7 allows local users with high privileges to crash the system via HTT packet logging. The HTT pktlog path calls ath11k_mac_get_ar_by_pdev_id() while active pdev objects are RCU-protected, but omits the read-side critical section needed to keep the returned object alive. Reachability requires high local privileges, an ath11k device, and packet logging; the bounded published impact is a kernel crash without data disclosure or modification.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-52800
- Published
- May 21, 2024
- Updated
- May 11, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-416, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- admin
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 21, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 11, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
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- Affected versionversion=5.6
- Affected versionversion=d5c65159f2895379e11ca13f62feabe93278985d <03ed26935bebf6b6fd8a656490bf3dcc71b72679
- Affected versionversion=d5c65159f2895379e11ca13f62feabe93278985d <3a51e6b4da71fdfa43ec006d6abc020f3e22d14e
- Affected versionversion=d5c65159f2895379e11ca13f62feabe93278985d <3f77c7d605b29df277d77e9ee75d96e7ad145d2d
- Affected versionversion=d5c65159f2895379e11ca13f62feabe93278985d <423762f021825b5e57c3d6f01ff96a9ff19cdcd8
- Affected versionversion=d5c65159f2895379e11ca13f62feabe93278985d <69cede2a5a5f60e3f5602b901b52cb64edd2ea6c
- Affected versionversion=d5c65159f2895379e11ca13f62feabe93278985d <e3199b3fac65c9f103055390b6fd07c5cffa5961
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
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Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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