mac80211: Fix Locking in ieee80211_start_ap Error Path

Kernel Updated 02 Oct 2025

Summary

30/12/2021

Disclosed on

N/A

Severity

No i

Fix available

Unrated

Severity

Not published

CVSS Score

GSD-2021-1002836: mac80211: fix locking in ieee80211_start_ap error path. Affects Kernel versions >= 295b02c4be74bebf988593b8322369513fcecf68, < c1d1ec4db5f7264cfc21993e59e8f2dcecf4b44f. No fix is published. How to fix ↓

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Background

The mac80211 package is a subsystem in the Linux Kernel that provides the implementation of the IEEE 802.11 wireless networking stack. It is responsible for managing wireless network interfaces and handling various operations related to wireless communication. The ieee80211_start_ap function in mac80211 is used to start an access point (AP) mode on a wireless interface. However, there is a vulnerability in the error path of this function that leads to improper locking, potentially resulting in a race condition or other concurrency issues.

Vulnerability Detail

The vulnerability in mac80211's ieee80211_start_ap error path arises due to incorrect locking. When an error occurs during the initialization of the AP mode, the function fails to release the necessary locks, leading to a potential deadlock or other synchronization issues. An attacker may be able to exploit this vulnerability to cause a denial-of-service (DoS) condition or potentially execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. The impact and attack plausibility of this vulnerability have not been proven yet.

How To Fix

No fixed version is published for this vulnerability.

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Workaround

No workaround has been provided for this vulnerability.

Conclusion

The mac80211 package in the Linux Kernel is vulnerable to a locking issue in the ieee80211_start_ap error path. This vulnerability can potentially lead to a denial-of-service (DoS) condition or arbitrary code execution. It is recommended to update the Linux Kernel to version v5.15.12 or later to mitigate this vulnerability. For further support on vulnerability remediation, please contact DevNack.com.

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