Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2025-71229

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-02-18

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.6.125 / 6.12.72 or later.

See remediation →

57/100

Remediation priority · Elevated

Zero-click Patch available

Official description

NVD · unedited

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: rtw88: Fix alignment fault in rtw_core_enable_beacon() rtw_core_enable_beacon() reads 4 bytes from an address that is not a multiple of 4. This results in a crash on some systems. Do 1 byte reads/writes instead. Unable to handle kernel paging request at virtual address ffff8000827e0522 Mem abort info: ESR = 0x0000000096000021 EC = 0x25: DABT (current EL), IL = 32 bits SET = 0, FnV = 0 EA = 0, S1PTW = 0 FSC = 0x21: alignment fault Data abort info: ISV = 0, ISS = 0x00000021, ISS2 = 0x00000000 CM = 0, WnR = 0, TnD = 0, TagAccess = 0 GCS = 0, Overlay = 0, DirtyBit = 0, Xs = 0 swapper pgtable: 4k pages, 48-bit VAs, pgdp=0000000005492000 [ffff8000827e0522] pgd=0000000000000000, p4d=10000001021d9403, pud=10000001021da403, pmd=100000011061c403, pte=00780000f3200f13 Internal error: Oops: 0000000096000021 [#1] SMP Modules linked in: [...] rtw88_8822ce rtw88_8822c rtw88_pci rtw88_core [...] CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 73 Comm: kworker/u32:2 Tainted: G W 6.17.9 #1-NixOS VOLUNTARY Tainted: [W]=WARN Hardware name: FriendlyElec NanoPC-T6 LTS (DT) Workqueue: phy0 rtw_c2h_work [rtw88_core] pstate: 60400009 (nZCv daif +PAN -UAO -TCO -DIT -SSBS BTYPE=--) pc : rtw_pci_read32+0x18/0x40 [rtw88_pci] lr : rtw_core_enable_beacon+0xe0/0x148 [rtw88_core] sp : ffff800080cc3ca0 x29: ffff800080cc3ca0 x28: ffff0001031fc240 x27: ffff000102100828 x26: ffffd2cb7c9b4088 x25: ffff0001031fc2c0 x24: ffff000112fdef00 x23: ffff000112fdef18 x22: ffff000111c29970 x21: 0000000000000001 x20: 0000000000000001 x19: ffff000111c22040 x18: 0000000000000000 x17: 0000000000000000 x16: 0000000000000000 x15: 0000000000000000 x14: 0000000000000000 x13: 0000000000000000 x12: 0000000000000000 x11: 0000000000000000 x10: 0000000000000000 x9 : ffffd2cb6507c090 x8 : 0000000000000000 x7 : 0000000000000000 x6 : 0000000000000000 x5 : 0000000000000000 x4 : 0000000000000000 x3 : 0000000000000000 x2 : 0000000000007f10 x1 : 0000000000000522 x0 : ffff8000827e0522 Call trace: rtw_pci_read32+0x18/0x40 [rtw88_pci] (P) rtw_hw_scan_chan_switch+0x124/0x1a8 [rtw88_core] rtw_fw_c2h_cmd_handle+0x254/0x290 [rtw88_core] rtw_c2h_work+0x50/0x98 [rtw88_core] process_one_work+0x178/0x3f8 worker_thread+0x208/0x418 kthread+0x120/0x220 ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20 Code: d28fe202 8b020000 f9524400 8b214000 (b9400000) ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]---

Technical summary

dbcve analysis

A detailed technical summary for this CVE is being prepared.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

Linux KernelOperating system

Affected:>= 6.5, < 6.6.125>= 6.7, < 6.12.72>= 6.13, < 6.18.11>= 6.19, < 6.19.1

CVSS breakdown

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

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to 6.6.125 / 6.12.72 / 6.18.11 or later

Fixed in 6.6.1256.12.726.18.11

Vendor patch git.kernel.org →

Recommended fix High confidence

6.6.125 (or 6.12.72, 6.18.11, or 6.19.1 depending on kernel branch)

Identify the currently running kernel version using `uname -r`
Determine which kernel branch (6.6, 6.12, 6.18, or 6.19) your distribution uses
Upgrade to a fixed version: For 6.6.y series upgrade to >= 6.6.125; for 6.12.y series upgrade to >= 6.12.72; for 6.18.y series upgrade to >= 6.18.11; for 6.19.y series upgrade to >= 6.19.1
Reboot the system to load the fixed kernel
Verify the fix by running `uname -r` and confirming the version is >= the appropriate fixed version

Caveat Upgrading kernel versions may require matching firmware updates or driver recompilation; test in non-production environment first

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 $1,600. Get the upgrade done

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally

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References

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-71229 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2025-71229?

The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.

The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
A config change or rule that shut the vector down
A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here

Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to 6.6.125 / 6.12.72 or later

Severity 5.5 Medium

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 0.1%

Affects: Linux Kernel

Remediation

Need this fixed?

Get a fix

Estimated effortfrom ~9 hrs

ComplexityModerate

Typical engagementfrom $1,600

What a fix involves

We scope it with you and confirm a fixed quote
A specialist builds a reviewed fix
You deploy it to staging first
Optional re-test once it’s live

We specialise in CVE remediation. Send your environment and we’ll scope CVE-2025-71229 and return a fixed quote.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Scan for this in your stack

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

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Remediation

References