CVE-2023-53452
Unknown Unknown - Not Provided
BaseFortify

Publication date: 2025-10-01

Last updated on: 2025-10-02

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: rtw89: fix potential race condition between napi_init and napi_enable A race condition can happen if netdev is registered, but NAPI isn't initialized yet, and meanwhile user space starts the netdev that will enable NAPI. Then, it hits BUG_ON(): kernel BUG at net/core/dev.c:6423! invalid opcode: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP NOPTI CPU: 0 PID: 417 Comm: iwd Not tainted 6.2.7-slab-dirty #3 eb0f5a8a9d91 Hardware name: LENOVO 21DL/LNVNB161216, BIOS JPCN20WW(V1.06) 09/20/2022 RIP: 0010:napi_enable+0x3f/0x50 Code: 48 89 c2 48 83 e2 f6 f6 81 89 08 00 00 02 74 0d 48 83 ... RSP: 0018:ffffada1414f3548 EFLAGS: 00010246 RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: ffffa01425802080 RCX: 0000000000000000 RDX: 00000000000002ff RSI: ffffada14e50c614 RDI: ffffa01425808dc0 RBP: 0000000000000000 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: 0000000000000000 R10: 0000000000000001 R11: 0000000000000100 R12: ffffa01425808f58 R13: 0000000000000000 R14: ffffa01423498940 R15: 0000000000000001 FS: 00007f5577c0a740(0000) GS:ffffa0169fc00000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 00007f5577a19972 CR3: 0000000125a7a000 CR4: 0000000000750ef0 PKRU: 55555554 Call Trace: <TASK> rtw89_pci_ops_start+0x1c/0x70 [rtw89_pci 6cbc75429515c181cbc386478d5cfb32ffc5a0f8] rtw89_core_start+0xbe/0x160 [rtw89_core fe07ecb874820b6d778370d4acb6ef8a37847f22] rtw89_ops_start+0x26/0x40 [rtw89_core fe07ecb874820b6d778370d4acb6ef8a37847f22] drv_start+0x42/0x100 [mac80211 c07fa22af8c3cf3f7d7ab3884ca990784d72e2d2] ieee80211_do_open+0x311/0x7d0 [mac80211 c07fa22af8c3cf3f7d7ab3884ca990784d72e2d2] ieee80211_open+0x6a/0x90 [mac80211 c07fa22af8c3cf3f7d7ab3884ca990784d72e2d2] __dev_open+0xe0/0x180 __dev_change_flags+0x1da/0x250 dev_change_flags+0x26/0x70 do_setlink+0x37c/0x12c0 ? ep_poll_callback+0x246/0x290 ? __nla_validate_parse+0x61/0xd00 ? __wake_up_common_lock+0x8f/0xd0 To fix this, follow Jonas' suggestion to switch the order of these functions and move register netdev to be the last step of PCI probe. Also, correct the error handling of rtw89_core_register_hw().
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Meta Information
Published
2025-10-01
Last Modified
2025-10-02
Generated
2026-05-07
AI Q&A
2025-10-01
EPSS Evaluated
2026-05-05
NVD
CVE-2023-53452
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
rtw89 rtw89 *
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
CWE
CWE Icon
KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Powered Q&A
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?

This vulnerability is a race condition in the Linux kernel's wifi driver (rtw89). It occurs when the network device (netdev) is registered before the NAPI (New API for network packet processing) is initialized, and user space starts the netdev which enables NAPI. This sequence can trigger a kernel BUG due to an invalid operation, causing a system crash. The issue is fixed by changing the order of operations during device initialization and improving error handling.


How can this vulnerability impact me? :

This vulnerability can cause the Linux kernel to crash (kernel BUG), leading to system instability or denial of service. If exploited or triggered, it could disrupt network functionality on affected systems using the rtw89 wifi driver.


How can this vulnerability be detected on my network or system? Can you suggest some commands?

This vulnerability can be detected by monitoring for kernel BUG messages related to the rtw89 driver, specifically looking for logs indicating a BUG_ON() at net/core/dev.c:6423 or invalid opcode errors during network device startup. Checking system logs (e.g., using 'dmesg' or 'journalctl') for such kernel BUG traces involving 'rtw89' or 'napi_enable' can help identify the issue. Example commands: 'dmesg | grep -i rtw89', 'journalctl -k | grep -i napi_enable'.


What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?

To mitigate this vulnerability, update the Linux kernel to a version that includes the fix where the order of functions is switched to move netdev registration to the last step of PCI probe, and error handling in rtw89_core_register_hw() is corrected. If updating is not immediately possible, avoid starting the affected network device until a patched kernel is applied to prevent triggering the race condition and kernel BUG.


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