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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2025-38513

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-08-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.4.296 / 5.10.240 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click Patch available

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: zd1211rw: Fix potential NULL pointer dereference in zd_mac_tx_to_dev() There is a potential NULL pointer dereference in zd_mac_tx_to_dev(). For example, the following is possible: T0 T1 zd_mac_tx_to_dev() /* len == skb_queue_len(q) */ while (len > ZD_MAC_MAX_ACK_WAITERS) { filter_ack() spin_lock_irqsave(&q->lock, flags); /* position == skb_queue_len(q) */ for (i=1; i<position; i++) skb = __skb_dequeue(q) if (mac->type == NL80211_IFTYPE_AP) skb = __skb_dequeue(q); spin_unlock_irqrestore(&q->lock, flags); skb_dequeue() -> NULL Since there is a small gap between checking skb queue length and skb being unconditionally dequeued in zd_mac_tx_to_dev(), skb_dequeue() can return NULL. Then the pointer is passed to zd_mac_tx_status() where it is dereferenced. In order to avoid potential NULL pointer dereference due to situations like above, check if skb is not NULL before passing it to zd_mac_tx_status(). Found by Linux Verification Center (linuxtesting.org) with SVACE.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis
How this class of weakness works · CWE-476

The code follows a pointer that is null, crashing the process. An attacker who can reliably trigger it turns the crash into a denial of service. The fix is checking for null before use and handling the failure path gracefully.

General guidance for the null pointer dereference class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:>= 2.6.25, < 5.4.296>= 5.5, < 5.10.240>= 5.11, < 5.15.189>= 5.16, < 6.1.146>= 6.2, < 6.6.99>= 6.7, < 6.12.39>= 6.13, < 6.15.7= 6.16
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 11.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

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

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 5.4.296 / 5.10.240 / 5.15.189 or later
Fixed in 5.4.2965.10.2405.15.189
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to kernel 5.4.296, 5.10.240, 5.15.189, or 6.1.146 (or later) depending on which branch is in use

  1. 1. Identify the currently running kernel version using `uname -r`
  2. 2. Obtain the kernel source or use your distribution's kernel package update mechanism
  3. 3. Apply the vendor patch commit 014c34dc132015c4f918ada4982e952947ac1047, or upgrade to a kernel version with the fix incorporated
  4. 4. For Debian 11.0, apply the upstream patch or upgrade to a newer Debian kernel that includes this fix
  5. 5. Rebuild the kernel module if building out-of-tree, or install the updated kernel package
  6. 6. Reboot the system to load the fixed kernel
  7. 7. Verify the fix is applied by checking the zd_mac_tx_to_dev() function includes the NULL check before calling zd_mac_tx_status()
Caveat Upgrading kernel versions may introduce compatibility issues with older kernel modules or require rebuilding third-party drivers

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $2,850. Get the upgrade done

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-38513 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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