Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: mac80211: reject VHT...
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.
Impact
CVE-2025-38509 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (Medium). The vector is requires local access, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. No fixed version is listed yet, so configuration controls and monitoring matter more in the interim.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2025-38509? CVE-2025-38509 is a medium-severity security vulnerability. No fixed version is listed yet.
- How severe is CVE-2025-38509? CVE-2025-38509 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2025-38509? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2025-38509 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2025-38509 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-38509 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2025-38509 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.