7

CVE-2022-50881: wifi: ath9k: Fix use-after-free in ath9k_hif_usb_disconnect()

Deferred
AliasesUBUNTU-CVE-2022-50881DEBIAN-CVE-2022-50881
Published 30-12-2025Last modified 23-05-2026

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2022-50881 is a high (CVSS 7.0) vulnerability in linux. EPSS estimates a 0.20% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 9.9% of scored vulnerabilities.

Priority
Routine

Not severe (CVSS 7, physical access); no exploitation reported by the 5 checked sources

Source freshness unavailable

How is this decided?
CVSS score
7.0/10
010
High · v4.0 (OSV · Ubuntu), selected by version preference
EPSS score
0.20%
0%100%
Low · 0.00 pp in 30 days
KEVNot listedNot listed by any tracked catalog.
RansomwareNot flaggedNo ransomware use recorded.
Public exploits0No public exploits recorded

Advisory lineage

Upstream 0 · Downstream 7 · Related 5
RHSA-2023:6583RHSA-2023:7077SUSE-SU-2026:0263-1SUSE-SU-2026:0317-1SUSE-SU-2026:0411-1SUSE-SU-2026:0473-1

Timeline

  1. 30-12-2025
    PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
  2. 23-05-2026
    Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: ath9k: Fix use-after-free in ath9k_hif_usb_disconnect() This patch fixes a use-after-free in ath9k that occurs in ath9k_hif_usb_disconnect() when ath9k_destroy_wmi() is trying to access 'drv_priv' that has already been freed by ieee80211_free_hw(), called by ath9k_htc_hw_deinit(). The patch moves ath9k_destroy_wmi() before ieee80211_free_hw(). Note that urbs from the driver should be killed before freeing 'wmi' with ath9k_destroy_wmi() as their callbacks will access 'wmi'. Found by a modified version of syzkaller. ================================================================== BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in ath9k_destroy_wmi+0x38/0x40 Read of size 8 at addr ffff8881069132a0 by task kworker/0:1/7 CPU: 0 PID: 7 Comm: kworker/0:1 Tainted: G O 5.14.0+ #131 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS rel-1.12.1-0-ga5cab58e9a3f-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014 Workqueue: usb_hub_wq hub_event Call Trace: dump_stack_lvl+0x8e/0xd1 print_address_description.constprop.0.cold+0x93/0x334 ? ath9k_destroy_wmi+0x38/0x40 ? ath9k_destroy_wmi+0x38/0x40 kasan_report.cold+0x83/0xdf ? ath9k_destroy_wmi+0x38/0x40 ath9k_destroy_wmi+0x38/0x40 ath9k_hif_usb_disconnect+0x329/0x3f0 ? ath9k_hif_usb_suspend+0x120/0x120 ? usb_disable_interface+0xfc/0x180 usb_unbind_interface+0x19b/0x7e0 ? usb_autoresume_device+0x50/0x50 device_release_driver_internal+0x44d/0x520 bus_remove_device+0x2e5/0x5a0 device_del+0x5b2/0xe30 ? __device_link_del+0x370/0x370 ? usb_remove_ep_devs+0x43/0x80 ? remove_intf_ep_devs+0x112/0x1a0 usb_disable_device+0x1e3/0x5a0 usb_disconnect+0x267/0x870 hub_event+0x168d/0x3950 ? rcu_read_lock_sched_held+0xa1/0xd0 ? hub_port_debounce+0x2e0/0x2e0 ? check_irq_usage+0x860/0xf20 ? drain_workqueue+0x281/0x360 ? lock_release+0x640/0x640 ? rcu_read_lock_sched_held+0xa1/0xd0 ? rcu_read_lock_bh_held+0xb0/0xb0 ? lockdep_hardirqs_on_prepare+0x273/0x3e0 process_one_work+0x92b/0x1460 ? pwq_dec_nr_in_flight+0x330/0x330 ? rwlock_bug.part.0+0x90/0x90 worker_thread+0x95/0xe00 ? __kthread_parkme+0x115/0x1e0 ? process_one_work+0x1460/0x1460 kthread+0x3a1/0x480 ? set_kthread_struct+0x120/0x120 ret_from_fork+0x1f/0x30 The buggy address belongs to the page: page:ffffea00041a44c0 refcount:0 mapcount:0 mapping:0000000000000000 index:0x0 pfn:0x106913 flags: 0x200000000000000(node=0|zone=2) raw: 0200000000000000 0000000000000000 dead000000000122 0000000000000000 raw: 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 00000000ffffffff 0000000000000000 page dumped because: kasan: bad access detected page_owner tracks the page as freed page last allocated via order 3, migratetype Unmovable, gfp_mask 0x40dc0(GFP_KERNEL|__GFP_COMP|__GFP_ZERO), pid 7, ts 38347963444, free_ts 41399957635 prep_new_page+0x1aa/0x240 get_page_from_freelist+0x159a/0x27c0 __alloc_pages+0x2da/0x6a0 alloc_pages+0xec/0x1e0 kmalloc_order+0x39/0xf0 kmalloc_order_trace+0x19/0x120 __kmalloc+0x308/0x390 wiphy_new_nm+0x6f5/0x1dd0 ieee80211_alloc_hw_nm+0x36d/0x2230 ath9k_htc_probe_device+0x9d/0x1e10 ath9k_htc_hw_init+0x34/0x50 ath9k_hif_usb_firmware_cb+0x25f/0x4e0 request_firmware_work_func+0x131/0x240 process_one_work+0x92b/0x1460 worker_thread+0x95/0xe00 kthread+0x3a1/0x480 page last free stack trace: free_pcp_prepare+0x3d3/0x7f0 free_unref_page+0x1e/0x3d0 device_release+0xa4/0x240 kobject_put+0x186/0x4c0 put_device+0x20/0x30 ath9k_htc_disconnect_device+0x1cf/0x2c0 ath9k_htc_hw_deinit+0x26/0x30 ath9k_hif_usb_disconnect+0x2d9/0x3f0 usb_unbind_interface+0x19b/0x7e0 device_release_driver_internal+0x44d/0x520 bus_remove_device+0x2e5/0x5a0 device_del+0x5b2/0xe30 usb_disable_device+0x1e3/0x5a0 usb_disconnect+0x267/0x870 hub_event+0x168d/0x3950 process_one_work+0x92b/0x1460 Memory state around the buggy address: ffff888106913180: ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ffff888106913200: ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff >ffff888 ---truncated---

CVSS metrics

1 score · 1 source · 1 version

EPSS trend

Probability

0.20%

Chance of exploitation in the next 30 days

Percentile

10%

Versus all other CVEs

30-day change

No change 0.00 pp

From 0.20% on 04-10-2026

04-10-202603-11-2026

Known exploited

Compare KEV catalogs
CISA KEV

Not in the CISA KEV catalog.

ENISA CNW

Not in the ENISA CNW catalog.

CIRCL

Not in the CIRCL catalog.

Public exploits

0 found

No public exploits indexed.

Weaknesses

CWE · root cause

No weakness data has been published for this record.

Affected systems

Version check

Known conditions: physical access, no authentication, no user interaction (CVSS vector). Other conditions: not stated in public data.

Ubuntu123 products
  • linuxAll versions (No fix recorded) | < 5.15.0-75.82
  • linux-allwinner-5.19All versions (No fix recorded)
  • linux-awsAll versions (No fix recorded) | < 5.15.0-1038.43
  • linux-aws-5.0All versions (No fix recorded)
  • linux-aws-5.11All versions (No fix recorded)
Debian1 product
  • linux< 6.1.20-1
Linux1 product
  • linux≥ abeaa85054ff8cfe8b99aafc5c70ea067e5d0908, < 99ff971b62e5bd5dee65bbe9777375206f5db791 | ≥ abeaa85054ff8cfe8b99aafc5c70ea067e5d0908, < 634a5471a6bd774c0d0fa448dfa6ec593e899ec9 | ≥ abeaa85054ff8cfe8b99aafc5c70ea067e5d0908, < 1f137c634a8c8faba648574f687805641e62f92e | ≥ abeaa85054ff8cfe8b99aafc5c70ea067e5d0908, < de15e8bbd9eb26fe94a06d0ec7be82dc490eb729 | ≥ abeaa85054ff8cfe8b99aafc5c70ea067e5d0908, < f099c5c9e2ba08a379bd354a82e05ef839ae29ac | 5c42f9bfb4c22898ed3d2806d75e2e58522a5edd | 44736603a7099d2a9b48c669e43a689588e272a5 | 406a2fbfabbf7ed9ed21884a82c07fabc6fe0b68 | 66a4ca83d50bb38c814190af2188868153cce5de | 3eb802924486a923585b344340a5536d91989a45 | 1bc633311a37913293c3c0a1b0f5261c49e3d5dc | 378d2734bf603bac4959bce2cadf5927aa2beffc | ≥ 4.4.228, < 4.5 | ≥ 4.9.228, < 4.10 | ≥ 4.14.185, < 4.15 | ≥ 4.19.129, < 4.20 | ≥ 5.4.47, < 5.5 | ≥ 5.6.19, < 5.7 | ≥ 5.7.3, < 5.8 | 5.8

3 vendors · 125 products

References

9 links