CVE-2025-38199

What it actually does

Repeated calls to ath12k_mac_station_add allocate rx_stats for the same arsta without checking for prior allocation, producing a memory leak each time a station is re-added.

Why it matters to the business

Systems using affected Qualcomm WiFi hardware can experience gradual memory exhaustion, leading to degraded performance or eventual service disruption on long-running wireless access points or clients.

How an attack unfolds

An attacker or misbehaving client repeatedly triggers station addition events against an ath12k interface, causing the driver to allocate duplicate rx_stats structures that are never freed, slowly depleting kernel memory.

How to fix it

Update the Linux kernel to a version containing commit 232f962ae5fca98912a719e64b4964a5aec7c99b or later; packaged products should move to the listed fixed versions such as jenkins-2 2.515-r0 or equivalent Chainguard/Wolfi builds.

How to confirm the fix worked

Confirm the driver source contains the NULL check before rx_stats allocation in ath12k_mac_station_add; monitor kernel memory usage under repeated station-add workloads to verify the leak is closed.

Typical attack path

1. Establish or force repeated association attempts to the same station on an ath12k interface
2. Trigger ath12k_mac_station_add multiple times without intervening station removal
3. Observe cumulative rx_stats allocations that are never released
4. Continue until kernel memory pressure causes performance impact or OOM conditions

How to detect it

Review kernel logs and memory accounting for repeated ath12k rx_stats allocations without corresponding station removals; correlate with WiFi station management events on affected hardware.

What your security team should do

• Prioritize kernel upgrades on all systems with ath12k hardware within normal patch windows
• Monitor memory utilization on wireless infrastructure for unexplained growth
• Apply the specific fixed package versions provided for each affected distribution