CVE-2025-38420: Linux kernel · wifi: carl9170: do not ping device which has failed to load firmware
Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · fixed in bfeede26e97ce4a15a0b961118de4a0e28c9907a : update Linux kernel when convenient.
Data as of 5 Nov 2026, 21:20 UTC
Rated Medium by Threat Radar's AI analysis · No CVSS score from NVD or the CNA
Thin evidence
One scorer or none- CISA SSVC
- Exploitation
- No evidence of active exploitation and no public proof of concept
- Automatable
- Attackers cannot reliably automate steps 1–4 of the kill chain
- Technical impact
- Limited control over the software or limited information exposure
CISA SSVC assessment, 2026-11-05.
- Patch
- Available – fixed in bfeede26e97ce4a15a0b961118de4a0e28c9907a, 301268dbaac8e9013719e162a000202eac8054be, 527fad1ae32ffa2d4853a1425fe1c8dbb8c9744c +5
Exploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 25 Jul 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: 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 5 Nov 2026.
What to do
Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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AI-suggested
A fix is available and has been applied in the Linux kernel commits identified by the fixedVersions hashes. Users should update their Linux kernel to a version including these fixes to remediate the issue.
Description
A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's carl9170 WiFi driver caused null pointer dereference crashes when attempting to ping a device that failed to load firmware. This occurs because the device does not register hardware properly, preventing the creation of an internal workqueue, and attempts to queue work on this non-existent queue lead to a crash. The issue has been fixed in subsequent Linux kernel commits.
References
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/0140d3d37f0f1759d1fdedd854c7875a86e15f8d (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/8a3734a6f4c05fd24605148f21fb2066690d61b3 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/527fad1ae32ffa2d4853a1425fe1c8dbb8c9744c (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/bfeede26e97ce4a15a0b961118de4a0e28c9907a (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/4e9ab5c48ad5153cc908dd29abad0cd2a92951e4 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/301268dbaac8e9013719e162a000202eac8054be (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/11ef72b3312752c2ff92f3c1e64912be3228ed36 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/15d25307692312cec4b57052da73387f91a2e870 (opens in a new tab)
- lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/10/msg00008.html (opens in a new tab)
- lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/10/msg00007.html (opens in a new tab)