Kernel crash via detached radio pointer dereference
Published Aug 19, 2025 · Updated May 11, 2026
NULL pointer dereference in Linux ath12k 6.14 through 6.15.9 and 6.16.0 allows local users to crash the kernel during beacon loss. ath12k_mac_handle_beacon_miss_iter() dereferences arvif->deflink->ar after a completed or aborted P2P scan deletes the scan vdev and detaches the interface from its radio. Reachability requires a P2P-capable ath12k device, the default dummy P2P interface, prior scan teardown, and a station beacon-miss event; the documented consequence is a kernel crash.
Summary
What happened
NULL pointer dereference in Linux ath12k 6.14 through 6.15.9 and 6.16.0 allows local users to crash the kernel during beacon loss. ath12k_mac_handle_beacon_miss_iter() dereferences arvif->deflink->ar after a completed or aborted P2P scan deletes the scan vdev and detaches the interface from its radio. Reachability requires a P2P-capable ath12k device, the default dummy P2P interface, prior scan teardown, and a station beacon-miss event; the documented consequence is a kernel crash.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-38606
- Published
- Aug 19, 2025
- Updated
- May 11, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-476, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 19, 2025CVE 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?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=6.14
- Affected versionversion=aa80f12f3bedc2d73e4cc43554aee44c277cc938 <1259b6da8303f70fef6ed4aef8ae3dedfecb0f27
- Affected versionversion=aa80f12f3bedc2d73e4cc43554aee44c277cc938 <36670b67de18f1e5d34900c5d2ac60a8970c293c
- Affected versionversion=aa80f12f3bedc2d73e4cc43554aee44c277cc938 <9b861dfc5c07defd0191fd3e7288a3179cd9a02e
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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