CVE-2025-38509

5.5 MEDIUM 0.1% exploit odds Fix listed Other OS & kernel

What it is

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: mac80211: reject VHT opmode for unsupported channel widths VHT operating mode notifications are not defined for channel widths below 20 MHz. In particular, 5 MHz and 10 MHz are not valid under the VHT specification and must be rejected. Without this check, malformed notifications using these widths may reach ieee80211_chan_width_to_rx_bw(), leading to a WARN_ON due to invalid input. This issue was reported by syzbot. Reject these unsupported widths early in sta_link_apply_parameters() when opmode_notif is used. The accepted set includes 20, 40, 80, 160, and 80+80 MHz, which are valid for VHT. While 320 MHz is not defined for VHT, it is allowed to avoid rejecting HE or EHT clients that may still send a VHT opmode notification.

At a glance

Exploitability: Can be exploited locally on the machine with a low-privilege account. High risk of service disruption.
Exploit odds: 0.1% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS).
Fix: A patch, advisory or fixed version is referenced. Upgrade or apply it.

Timeline

2025-08-16 11:15 UTC PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
2026-11-05 21:18 UTC Last updatedMost recent change to the record

Why it ranks here

Exploited in the wild: no, CISA does not list it.
Exploit odds: 0.1% in the next 30 days (EPSS).
Severity: 5.5 MEDIUM (CVSS).
Fix: a patch or advisory is linked.

Details

Published: 2025-08-16 11:15 UTC
Last modified: 2026-11-05 21:18 UTC
Exploit probability: 0.1% · EPSS, next 30 days
Record status: Analyzed

Affected

Linux Kernel < 6.15.7
Linux Kernel 6.16

Attack profile CVSS 3.1 · 5.5

Attack vector: Local
Complexity: Low
Privileges needed: Low
User interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: None
Availability: High

Raw vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Is it in your code?

Hand this to your coding agent. It searches your project for the affected products and checks versions. Nothing leaves your machine.

Read https://cve-list.com/agent/cve/CVE-2025-38509.md and follow it. Check whether this project is affected by CVE-2025-38509. Read only. Don't change anything and don't upload my code. Tell me yes, no or not sure, with the file as proof.

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Fix and advisories

References

NVD record · CVE.org record