Kernel use-after-free via dangling ath12k panic notifier
Published Jul 3, 2025 · Updated Aug 5, 2026
Use-after-free in Linux ath12k 6.14 through 6.15.2 allows local users to cause unspecified impact via a dangling panic notifier. The ath12k_core_init error paths leave the panic notifier registered when hardware-group assignment or creation fails, then module removal frees its backing memory. A later kernel panic traverses that freed notifier; Ubuntu states that the allocation failure during PCI probe and panic traversal are prerequisites attackers cannot reliably influence.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in Linux ath12k 6.14 through 6.15.2 allows local users to cause unspecified impact via a dangling panic notifier. The ath12k_core_init error paths leave the panic notifier registered when hardware-group assignment or creation fails, then module removal frees its backing memory. A later kernel panic traverses that freed notifier; Ubuntu states that the allocation failure during PCI probe and panic traversal are prerequisites attackers cannot reliably influence.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-38116
- Published
- Jul 3, 2025
- Updated
- Aug 5, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-416
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 3, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 5, 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=6.14
- Affected versionversion=6f245ea0ec6c29b90c8fa4fdf6e178c646125d7e <65e1b3404c211dcfaea02698539cdcd26647130f
- Affected versionversion=6f245ea0ec6c29b90c8fa4fdf6e178c646125d7e <f3fe49dbddd73f0155a8935af47cb63693069dbe
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What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
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Technologies
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Your stack
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