CVE-2025-38509
5.5 · MEDIUMOverview
CVE-2025-38509 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting linux linux_kernel. It was published on August 16, 2025 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.
Technical Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
wifi: mac80211: reject VHT opmode for unsupported channel widths
VHT operating mode notifications are not defined for channel widths
below 20 MHz. In particular, 5 MHz and 10 MHz are not valid under the
VHT specification and must be rejected.
Without this check, malformed notifications using these widths may
reach ieee80211_chan_width_to_rx_bw(), leading to a WARN_ON due to
invalid input. This issue was reported by syzbot.
Reject these unsupported widths early in sta_link_apply_parameters()
when opmode_notif is used. The accepted set includes 20, 40, 80, 160,
and 80+80 MHz, which are valid for VHT. While 320 MHz is not defined
for VHT, it is allowed to avoid rejecting HE or EHT clients that may
still send a VHT opmode notification.
Remediation
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from linux. Update linux_kernel to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| linux | linux_kernel | >= 6.13, < 6.15.7 | Affected |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2025-38509?
CVE-2025-38509 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting linux linux_kernel. It was published on August 16, 2025 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).
How severe is CVE-2025-38509?
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.
How do I fix or remediate CVE-2025-38509?
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from linux. Update linux_kernel to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2025-38509?
CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2025-38509 across your infrastructure using autonomous pentesting, DAST scanning, and HackBrowser. The platform continuously monitors for known vulnerabilities and provides actionable remediation guidance prioritized by real-world exploitability.
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