CVE-2025-38420: debian linux Null Dereference — Fix

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: carl9170: do not ping device which has failed to load firmware Syzkaller reports [1, 2] crashes caused by an attempts to ping the device which has failed to load firmware. Since such a device doesn't pass 'ieee80211_register_hw()', an internal workqueue managed by 'ieee80211_queue_work()' is not yet created and an attempt to queue work on it causes null-ptr-deref. [1] https://syzkaller.appspot.com/bug?extid=9a4aec827829942045ff [2] https://syzkaller.appspot.com/bug?extid=0d8afba53e8fb2633217

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CVSS v3.1 Score

5.5

MEDIUM

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

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-476 CWE-476

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions
linux	linux_kernel	2.6.38 — 5.4.295
linux	linux_kernel	5.5 — 5.10.239
linux	linux_kernel	5.11 — 5.15.186
linux	linux_kernel	5.16 — 6.1.142
linux	linux_kernel	6.2 — 6.6.95
linux	linux_kernel	6.7 — 6.12.35
linux	linux_kernel	6.13 — 6.15.4
linux	linux_kernel	All
linux	linux_kernel	All
debian	debian_linux	All

References

Advisories & Patches

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0140d3d37f0f1759d1fdedd854c7875a86e15f8d https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/11ef72b3312752c2ff92f3c1e64912be3228ed36 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/15d25307692312cec4b57052da73387f91a2e870 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/301268dbaac8e9013719e162a000202eac8054be https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4e9ab5c48ad5153cc908dd29abad0cd2a92951e4 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/527fad1ae32ffa2d4853a1425fe1c8dbb8c9744c https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8a3734a6f4c05fd24605148f21fb2066690d61b3 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bfeede26e97ce4a15a0b961118de4a0e28c9907a

Other References

https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/10/msg00007.html https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/10/msg00008.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-38420? +

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: carl9170: do not ping device which has failed to load firmware Syzkaller reports [1, 2] crashes caused by an attempts to ping the device which has failed to load firmware. Since such a device doesn't pass 'ieee80211_register_hw()', an internal workqueue managed by 'ieee80211_queue_work()' is not yet created and an attempt to queue work on it causes null-ptr-deref. [1] https://syzkaller.appspot.com/bug?extid=9a4aec827829942045ff [2] https://syzkaller.appspot.com/bug?extid=0d8afba53e8fb2633217 It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2025-38420? +

CVE-2025-38420 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.5 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance.

What products are affected by CVE-2025-38420? +

CVE-2025-38420 affects products from debian, linux, specifically: debian_linux, linux_kernel. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2025-38420? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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CVE-2025-38420