TI-2025-15684 Aliases CVE-2025-21729 GHSA-pc9x-vqhx-p2xg

wifi: rtw89: fix race between cancel_hw_scan and hw_scan completion

LOW 36CWE-416Published 2025-02-27 · Updated 2026-10-30

Key facts

Attack vector: Local
Privileges required: Low
User interaction: None
Attack complexity: Low
Impact type: Code execution
Confidentiality · integrity · availability: High · High · High
Fix status: Partial Red Hat: 5 fixed, 2 without a fix

Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-416 and the CVSS impact.

Summary

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: rtw89: fix race between cancel_hw_scan and hw_scan completion The rtwdev->scanning flag isn't protected by mutex originally, so cancel_hw_scan can pass the condition, but suddenly hw_scan completion unset the flag and calls ieee80211_scan_completed() that will free local->hw_scan_req. Then, cancel_hw_scan raises null-ptr-deref and use-after-free. Fix it by moving the check condition to where protected by mutex. KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000088-0x000000000000008f] CPU: 2 PID: 6922 Comm: kworker/2:2 Tainted: G OE Hardware name: LENOVO 2356AD1/2356AD1, BIOS G7ETB6WW (2.76 ) 09/10/2019 Workqueue: events cfg80211_conn_work [cfg80211] RIP: 0010:rtw89_fw_h2c_scan_offload_be+0xc33/0x13c3 [rtw89_core] Code: 00 45 89 6c 24 1c 0f 85 23 01 00 00 48 8b 85 20 ff ff ff 48 8d RSP: 0018:ffff88811fd9f068 EFLAGS: 00010206 RAX: dffffc0000000000 RBX: ffff88811fd9f258 RCX: 0000000000000001 RDX: 0000000000000011 RSI: 0000000000000001 RDI: 0000000000000089 RBP: ffff88811fd9f170 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: 0000000000000000 R10: ffff88811fd9f108 R11: 0000000000000000 R12: ffff88810e47f960 R13: 0000000000000000 R14: 000000000000ffff R15: 0000000000000000 FS: 0000000000000000(0000) GS:ffff8881d6f00000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 00007531dfca55b0 CR3: 00000001be296004 CR4: 00000000001706e0 Call Trace: <TASK> ? show_regs+0x61/0x73 ? __die_body+0x20/0x73 ? die_addr+0x4f/0x7b ? exc_general_protection+0x191/0x1db ? asm_exc_general_protection+0x27/0x30 ? rtw89_fw_h2c_scan_offload_be+0xc33/0x13c3 [rtw89_core] ? rtw89_fw_h2c_scan_offload_be+0x458/0x13c3 [rtw89_core] ? __pfx_rtw89_fw_h2c_scan_offload_be+0x10/0x10 [rtw89_core] ? do_raw_spin_lock+0x75/0xdb ? __pfx_do_raw_spin_lock+0x10/0x10 rtw89_hw_scan_offload+0xb5e/0xbf7 [rtw89_core] ? _raw_spin_unlock+0xe/0x24 ? __mutex_lock.constprop.0+0x40c/0x471 ? __pfx_rtw89_hw_scan_offload+0x10/0x10 [rtw89_core] ? __mutex_lock_slowpath+0x13/0x1f ? mutex_lock+0xa2/0xdc ? __pfx_mutex_lock+0x10/0x10 rtw89_hw_scan_abort+0x58/0xb7 [rtw89_core] rtw89_ops_cancel_hw_scan+0x120/0x13b [rtw89_core] ieee80211_scan_cancel+0x468/0x4d0 [mac80211] ieee80211_prep_connection+0x858/0x899 [mac80211] ieee80211_mgd_auth+0xbea/0xdde [mac80211] ? __pfx_ieee80211_mgd_auth+0x10/0x10 [mac80211] ? cfg80211_find_elem+0x15/0x29 [cfg80211] ? is_bss+0x1b7/0x1d7 [cfg80211] ieee80211_auth+0x18/0x27 [mac80211] cfg80211_mlme_auth+0x3bb/0x3e7 [cfg80211] cfg80211_conn_do_work+0x410/0xb81 [cfg80211] ? __pfx_cfg80211_conn_do_work+0x10/0x10 [cfg80211] ? __kasan_check_read+0x11/0x1f ? psi_group_change+0x8bc/0x944 ? __kasan_check_write+0x14/0x22 ? mutex_lock+0x8e/0xdc ? __pfx_mutex_lock+0x10/0x10 ? __pfx___radix_tree_lookup+0x10/0x10 cfg80211_conn_work+0x245/0x34d [cfg80211] ? __pfx_cfg80211_conn_work+0x10/0x10 [cfg80211] ? update_cfs_rq_load_avg+0x3bc/0x3d7 ? sched_clock_noinstr+0x9/0x1a ? sched_clock+0x10/0x24 ? sched_clock_cpu+0x7e/0x42e ? newidle_balance+0x796/0x937 ? __pfx_sched_clock_cpu+0x10/0x10 ? __pfx_newidle_balance+0x10/0x10 ? __kasan_check_read+0x11/0x1f ? psi_group_change+0x8bc/0x944 ? _raw_spin_unlock+0xe/0x24 ? raw_spin_rq_unlock+0x47/0x54 ? raw_spin_rq_unlock_irq+0x9/0x1f ? finish_task_switch.isra.0+0x347/0x586 ? __schedule+0x27bf/0x2892 ? mutex_unlock+0x80/0xd0 ? do_raw_spin_lock+0x75/0xdb ? __pfx___schedule+0x10/0x10 process_scheduled_works+0x58c/0x821 worker_thread+0x4c7/0x586 ? __kasan_check_read+0x11/0x1f kthread+0x285/0x294 ? __pfx_worker_thread+0x10/0x10 ? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10 ret_from_fork+0x29/0x6f ? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1b/0x30 </TASK>

Why it matters now

Exploitation None reported CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV

EPSS 0.00236 14th percentileScored 2026-11-07

Fix Partial Linux (Linux): 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.13 +2Red Hat: 1 advisoryRed Hat: 5 fixed, 2 without a fix

SSVC decision points

CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3

Exploitation: None
Automatable: No
Technical impact: Total

The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.

Affected products

Vendor	Product	Affected versions	Fixed in	Status	Source
Linux	Linux	5.18 and later	6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.13, 6.13.2, 6.14	Patch available	CNA

Linux VendorLinux Affected 5.18 and later Fixed in 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.13, 6.13.2, 6.14 Patch available CNA

CPE configurations NVD · 1

CPE	Versions	Role	Vendor
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel::::::::	5.18 to before 6.12.13; 6.13 to before 6.13.2	Vulnerable	Linux

cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.18 to before 6.12.13; 6.13 to before 6.13.2 Vulnerable ·Linux

Remediation

Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.13, 6.13.2, 6.14

Red Hat 1 advisory

RHSA-2025:20518 Released 2025-11-11 · Red Hat rating Moderate
kernel security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) kernel-64k-debug-devel-5.14.0-611.5.1.el9_7, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-5.14.0-611.5.1.el9_7, kernel-64k-devel-5.14.0-611.5.1.el9_7 +12
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) kernel-5.14.0-611.5.1.el9_7, kernel-64k-5.14.0-611.5.1.el9_7, kernel-64k-core-5.14.0-611.5.1.el9_7 +28
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 9) kernel-tools-libs-devel-5.14.0-611.5.1.el9_7, libperf-5.14.0-611.5.1.el9_7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time (v. 9) kernel-rt-5.14.0-611.5.1.el9_7, kernel-rt-64k-5.14.0-611.5.1.el9_7, kernel-rt-64k-core-5.14.0-611.5.1.el9_7 +21
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV (v. 9) kernel-rt-5.14.0-611.5.1.el9_7, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-611.5.1.el9_7, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-611.5.1.el9_7 +9

Vendor assessments

Red Hat

Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →

Product	Status	Plan or fix
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10	Affected	No fix yet: Fix deferred
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8	Affected	No fix planned: Out of support scope
Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9)	Fixed	RHSA-2025:20518
Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9)	Fixed	RHSA-2025:20518
Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 9)	Fixed	RHSA-2025:20518
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time (v. 9)	Fixed	RHSA-2025:20518
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV (v. 9)	Fixed	RHSA-2025:20518

Not affected: 2 products

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7

Timeline

2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2025-21729
2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-pc9x-vqhx-p2xg
2026-10-21 Fix available: Linux/[email protected], Linux/Linux@7368f88b2e62d043cd64fe7bdd5c3c2a2f9795b0 · CNA
2026-10-21 1 new reference · CNA
2026-10-29 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
2026-10-30 Fix available: Linux/Linux@02d78fb7fa1f4f4d6ecc6034e81c6db38385ce96, Linux/[email protected] · CNA
2026-10-30 1 new reference · CNA

References

Patch 3

Other 2

TI-2025-26358 tls: fix handling of zero-length records on the rx_list KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
TI-2026-38352 netfilter: bridge: make ebt_snat ARP rewrite writable KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
TI-2013-05264 The (1) get_user and (2) put_user API functions in the Linux kernel before 3.5.5 on the… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
TI-2022-00125 Integer overflow in kernel KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
TI-2013-01864 The perf_swevent_init function in kernel/events/core.c in the Linux kernel before 3.8.9… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
TI-2021-05514 Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACE KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.3

See all 15278 →

Sources

This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences