In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
wifi: ath12k: fix dead lock while flushing management frames
Commit [1] converted the management transmission work item into a wiphy work. Since a wiphy work can only run under wiphy lock protection, a race condition happens in below scenario:
>From user view, this dead lock results in below issue:
wlp8s0: authenticate with xxxxxx (local address=xxxxxx) wlp8s0: send auth to xxxxxx (try 1/3) wlp8s0: authenticate with xxxxxx (local address=xxxxxx) wlp8s0: send auth to xxxxxx (try 1/3) wlp8s0: authenticated wlp8s0: associate with xxxxxx (try 1/3) wlp8s0: aborting association with xxxxxx by local choice (Reason: 3=DEAUTH_LEAVING) ath12k_pci 0000:08:00.0: failed to flush mgmt transmit queue, mgmt pkts pending 1
The dead lock can be avoided by invoking wiphy_work_flush() to proactively run the queued work item. Note actually it is already present in ath12k_mac_op_flush(), however it does not protect the case where vif being NULL. Hence move it ahead to cover this case as well.
Tested-on: WCN7850 hw2.0 PCI WLAN.HMT.1.1.c5-00302-QCAHMTSWPL_V1.0_V2.0_SILICONZ-1.115823.3
| Software | From | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.14 | 6.18.8 |
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.19-rc1 | 6.19-rc1.x |
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.19-rc2 | 6.19-rc2.x |
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.19-rc3 | 6.19-rc3.x |
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.19-rc4 | 6.19-rc4.x |
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.19-rc5 | 6.19-rc5.x |
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.19-rc6 | 6.19-rc6.x |
A security vulnerability is a weakness in software, hardware, or configuration that can be exploited to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Many vulnerabilities are tracked as CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), which provide a standardized identifier so teams can coordinate patching, mitigation, and risk assessment across tools and vendors.
CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) estimates technical severity, but it doesn't automatically equal business risk. Prioritize using context like internet exposure, affected asset criticality, known exploitation (proof-of-concept or in-the-wild), and whether compensating controls exist. A "Medium" CVSS on an exposed, production system can be more urgent than a "Critical" on an isolated, non-production host.
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Use a simple, repeatable triage model: focus first on externally exposed assets, high-value systems (identity, VPN, email, production), vulnerabilities with known exploits, and issues that enable remote code execution or privilege escalation. Then enforce patch SLAs and track progress using consistent metrics so remediation is steady, not reactive.
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