CVE-2023-7042VulnerabilityPublished 21 Dec 2023Updated 21 Nov 2025

CVE-2023-7042: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 · NULL Pointer Dereference

Affects Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6Source CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.4 Medium.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 06:26 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

4.4Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 20% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

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

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: High
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: None
Availability: High

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Local: The vulnerable component is not bound to the network stack and the attacker’s path is via read/write/execute capabilities. Either: the attacker exploits the vulnerability by accessing the target system locally (e.g., keyboard, console), or remotely (e.g., SSH); or the attacker relies on User Interaction by another person to perform actions required to exploit the vulnerability (e.g., tricking a legitimate user into opening a malicious document).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: High: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide significant (e.g., administrative) control over the vulnerable component that could affect component-wide settings and files.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the impacted component.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: High: There is total loss of availability, resulting in the attacker being able to fully deny access to resources in the impacted component; this loss is either sustained (while the attacker continues to deliver the attack) or persistent (the condition persists even after the attack has completed). Alternatively, the attacker has the ability to deny some availability, but the loss of availability presents a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component (e.g., the attacker cannot disrupt existing connections, but can prevent new connections; the attacker can repeatedly exploit a vulnerability that, in each instance of a successful attack, leaks a only small amount of memory, but after repeated exploitation causes a service to become completely unavailable).

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 21 Dec 2023
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-26.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Red Hatredhat/kernel`pkg:rpm/redhat/kernel`Other threats	Affected =6	Fixed in–

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AI-suggested

1. Apply official security patches from Red Hat for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 as soon as they become available to address CVE-2023-7042. 2. If patching is not immediately feasible, consider disabling the ath10k wireless driver module to prevent the vulnerable code from executing. 3. Restrict local access to systems running RHEL 6 to trusted administrators only, minimizing the risk of privilege escalation and exploitation. 4. Monitor system logs and wireless driver behavior for signs of crashes or abnormal activity that could indicate attempted exploitation. 5. For critical environments, consider upgrading from RHEL 6 to a more recent, supported operating system version to reduce exposure to legacy vulnerabilities. 6. Implement strict access controls and use security tools to detect and prevent unauthorized privilege escalation on affected systems. 7. Conduct regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing focused on wireless drivers and kernel components to identify similar issues proactively.

Description

CVE-2023-7042 is a medium severity vulnerability in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 involving a null pointer dereference in the ath10k wireless driver. The flaw exists in the function ath10k_wmi_tlv_op_pull_mgmt_tx_compl_ev() within the Linux kernel's ath10k driver, potentially causing a denial of service (DoS) by crashing the system. Exploitation requires local access with high privileges and does not impact confidentiality or integrity. No user interaction is needed, and no known exploits are currently in the wild. The vulnerability affects systems using the ath10k wireless driver on RHEL 6, which is an older distribution still in use in some environments. European organizations relying on legacy RHEL 6 deployments with affected wireless hardware could experience service disruptions. Mitigation involves applying kernel patches from Red Hat or disabling the affected wireless driver if patching is not feasible. Countries with significant industrial and governmental use of legacy Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 systems, such as Germany, France, and the UK, are more likely to be impacted.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2023-7042 is a denial of service condition caused by a kernel crash due to a null pointer dereference in the ath10k wireless driver. For European organizations, this could result in temporary loss of wireless network connectivity and system availability on affected Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 systems. Critical infrastructure or industrial control systems that rely on legacy RHEL 6 deployments with ath10k wireless hardware may experience operational disruptions. Although the vulnerability does not compromise confidentiality or integrity, the availability impact could affect business continuity, especially in environments where wireless connectivity is essential. Since exploitation requires local high privileges, the risk is somewhat mitigated by the need for prior system access. However, insider threats or attackers who have escalated privileges could leverage this flaw to disrupt services. The lack of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the need for timely remediation. Organizations running legacy RHEL 6 systems should prioritize patching or mitigating this vulnerability to maintain operational stability.

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 28 Nov 2025, 06:55 UTC

Technical details

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