CVE-2025-37943 – A memory corruption vulnerability in the Linux ... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2025-37943?

CVE-2025-37943 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). A memory corruption vulnerability in the Linux kernel's ath12k Wi-Fi driver allows attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code or crash the system. This affects systems using Qualcomm QCN9274 Wi-Fi hardware with vulnerable kernel versions. The vulnerability occurs when processing malformed network packets with invalid header lengths.

📋 TL;DR

A memory corruption vulnerability in the Linux kernel's ath12k Wi-Fi driver allows attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code or crash the system. This affects systems using Qualcomm QCN9274 Wi-Fi hardware with vulnerable kernel versions. The vulnerability occurs when processing malformed network packets with invalid header lengths.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel with ath12k driver for Qualcomm QCN9274 Wi-Fi hardware

Versions: Kernel versions containing the vulnerable ath12k driver code before the fix commits

Operating Systems: Linux distributions with vulnerable kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects systems using Qualcomm QCN9274 Wi-Fi hardware with the ath12k driver enabled. Requires Wi-Fi interface to be active and processing network traffic.

📦 What is this software?

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Remote code execution leading to full system compromise, kernel privilege escalation, or persistent backdoor installation.

🟠

Likely Case

Kernel panic or system crash causing denial of service, potentially requiring physical access to restart affected devices.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited to denial of service if exploit attempts are detected and blocked by network security controls.

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM - Requires Wi-Fi connectivity but could be exploited by attackers within wireless range or through network access.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Internal attackers with network access could exploit this vulnerability on affected systems.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires sending specially crafted network packets to the Wi-Fi interface. No public exploit code has been identified at this time.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Kernel versions containing commits 3abe15e75648, 50be1fb76556, 6ee653194ddb, 7f1d986da5c6, or 9a0dddfb30f1

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3abe15e756481c45f6acba3d476cb3ca4afc3b61

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commits. 2. Reboot system to load new kernel. 3. Verify ath12k driver is updated.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable vulnerable Wi-Fi interface

linux

Temporarily disable the affected Wi-Fi hardware to prevent exploitation

sudo ip link set wlan0 down
sudo rfkill block wifi

Network filtering

all

Implement network filtering to block malformed Wi-Fi packets at network perimeter

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Disable Wi-Fi interfaces on affected systems and use wired network connections only.
Implement strict network segmentation to isolate affected systems from untrusted networks.

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check kernel version and verify if ath12k driver is loaded: 'lsmod | grep ath12k' and 'uname -r'

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version includes fix commits and ath12k driver version is updated. Check dmesg for any related error messages.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel panic messages
ath12k driver crash logs in dmesg
Wi-Fi interface disconnection events

Network Indicators:

Unusual Wi-Fi packet patterns with malformed headers
Excessive retransmissions on Wi-Fi interface

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("ath12k" OR "panic" OR "Oops")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2025-37943

CVSS v3 Score: 7.8 (HIGH)

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

CWE: CWE-787

EPSS Score: 0.03% exploit probability (7.4th percentile)

Published: May 20, 2025

Last Updated: November 17, 2025

🔗 References

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