CVE-2025-38602 – This CVE involves a missing NULL pointer check ... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2025-38602?

CVE-2025-38602 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). This CVE involves a missing NULL pointer check in the iwlwifi driver in the Linux kernel. If alloc_ordered_workqueue() fails and returns NULL, the driver may crash or cause undefined behavior. This affects systems using Intel wireless hardware with vulnerable kernel versions.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE involves a missing NULL pointer check in the iwlwifi driver in the Linux kernel. If alloc_ordered_workqueue() fails and returns NULL, the driver may crash or cause undefined behavior. This affects systems using Intel wireless hardware with vulnerable kernel versions.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel with iwlwifi driver

Versions: Specific kernel versions containing the vulnerable code (check git commits for exact ranges)

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects systems with Intel wireless hardware using the iwlwifi driver. The vulnerability is triggered when memory allocation fails.

📦 What is this software?

Debian Linux by Debian

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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...

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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...

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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 →

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

Kernel panic leading to system crash and denial of service, potentially requiring physical access to restart the system.

🟠

Likely Case

System instability or crash when the wireless driver fails to allocate workqueue resources, resulting in temporary loss of wireless connectivity.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minor system instability that may require restarting the wireless service or rebooting the system.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - This requires local access to the system and affects kernel-level operations, not directly exploitable over the network.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Local users or processes could potentially trigger this condition, leading to system instability or denial of service.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires triggering memory allocation failure conditions, which may be difficult to reliably achieve. Requires local access to the system.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Kernel versions containing the fix commits (2e9f85ee3b46453a2f250a57d3a9f10c70c71202 and related)

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2e9f85ee3b46453a2f250a57d3a9f10c70c71202

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update to a patched kernel version from your distribution's repositories. 2. Rebuild kernel if using custom kernel. 3. Reboot the system to load the new kernel.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable iwlwifi driver

Linux

Temporarily disable the vulnerable wireless driver if wireless connectivity is not required

sudo modprobe -r iwlwifi

Use alternative wireless driver

Linux

Switch to a different wireless driver if available for your hardware

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Monitor system logs for kernel panic or iwlwifi-related crashes
Implement strict memory limits to reduce likelihood of allocation failures

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check kernel version and verify if iwlwifi module is loaded: lsmod | grep iwlwifi

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Check kernel version after update and verify iwlwifi module loads without errors in dmesg

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel panic messages
iwlwifi driver crash in dmesg
NULL pointer dereference errors

Network Indicators:

Sudden loss of wireless connectivity
Wireless interface disappearance

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("panic" OR "NULL pointer" OR "iwlwifi")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2025-38602

CVSS v3 Score: 5.5 (MEDIUM)

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

CWE: CWE-252

EPSS Score: 0.01% exploit probability (2.3th percentile)

Published: August 19, 2025

Last Updated: January 7, 2026

🔗 References

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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