wifi: ath9k: hif_usb: don't dereference hif_dev after re-arming firmware request

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Summary

CVECVE-2026-68363
StatePUBLISHED
AssignerLinux
Source PriorityCVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback
Published2026-08-10 13:20:28 UTC
Updated2026-08-10 13:20:28 UTC
DescriptionIn the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: ath9k: hif_usb: don't dereference hif_dev after re-arming firmware request ath9k_hif_request_firmware() re-arms an asynchronous firmware load via request_firmware_nowait(), passing hif_dev as the completion context, and then still dereferences hif_dev: dev_info(&hif_dev->udev->dev, "ath9k_htc: Firmware %s requested\n", hif_dev->fw_name); The re-armed callback ath9k_hif_usb_firmware_cb() runs on the "events" workqueue and, when the firmware is missing, walks the retry chain into ath9k_hif_usb_firmware_fail() -> complete_all(&hif_dev->fw_done). That releases the wait_for_completion(&hif_dev->fw_done) in a concurrent ath9k_hif_usb_disconnect(), which then kfree()s hif_dev. The trailing dev_info() in the frame that re-armed the request can therefore read freed memory (hif_dev->udev, the first field of struct hif_device_usb): BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in ath9k_hif_request_firmware Read of size 8 ... by task kworker/... ath9k_hif_request_firmware ath9k_hif_usb_firmware_cb drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/hif_usb.c:1247 request_firmware_work_func Allocated by ...: ath9k_hif_usb_probe drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/hif_usb.c Freed by ...: ath9k_hif_usb_disconnect -> kfree drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/hif_usb.c The fw_done barrier only makes disconnect wait for the firmware chain to *terminate*; it does not protect the outer ath9k_hif_request_firmware() frame that re-armed the request and keeps touching hif_dev afterwards. Drop the post-request dev_info(): it is the only use of hif_dev after the async request is armed, and it is purely informational (the dev_err() on the failure path runs only when request_firmware_nowait() did not arm a callback, so hif_dev is still alive there). This was first reported by syzbot as a single, non-reproduced crash that was later auto-obsoleted, and was independently rediscovered by the reFuzz fuzzer, which produced a C reproducer (USB-gadget connect/disconnect of an ath9k_htc device whose firmware download fails). The vulnerable code is unchanged and still present in v7.1-rc6, where the slab-use-after-free reproduces under KASAN once the (sub-microsecond) race window is widened.

Vendor Declared Affected Products

SourceVendorProductVersionPlatforms
CNA Linux Linux affected e904cf6fe23022cde4e0ea9d41601411a315a3dc 7f184ca38a90889f3f6665ff96748b95da39dbee git Not specified
CNA Linux Linux affected e904cf6fe23022cde4e0ea9d41601411a315a3dc 10b0ce629123a3737b4eda50188f73bb7be7b68b git Not specified
CNA Linux Linux affected e904cf6fe23022cde4e0ea9d41601411a315a3dc 48a69cedde7388294e4ea6fd804156cd62bc04fc git Not specified
CNA Linux Linux affected e904cf6fe23022cde4e0ea9d41601411a315a3dc 7c9046d92c4b9789c9d9d775e4fd5f34be64cb0a git Not specified
CNA Linux Linux affected e904cf6fe23022cde4e0ea9d41601411a315a3dc dad9f96945d77ecd4708f730c06ef54dcd8cc057 git Not specified
CNA Linux Linux affected 4.4 Not specified
CNA Linux Linux unaffected 4.4 semver Not specified
CNA Linux Linux unaffected 6.6.148 6.6.* semver Not specified
CNA Linux Linux unaffected 6.12.101 6.12.* semver Not specified
CNA Linux Linux unaffected 6.18.42 6.18.* semver Not specified
CNA Linux Linux unaffected 7.1.6 7.1.* semver Not specified
CNA Linux Linux unaffected 7.2-rc5 * original_commit_for_fix Not specified

References

ReferenceSourceLinkTags
git.kernel.org/stable/c/7f184ca38a90889f3f6665ff96748b95da39dbee 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 git.kernel.org
git.kernel.org/stable/c/48a69cedde7388294e4ea6fd804156cd62bc04fc 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 git.kernel.org
git.kernel.org/stable/c/dad9f96945d77ecd4708f730c06ef54dcd8cc057 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 git.kernel.org
git.kernel.org/stable/c/7c9046d92c4b9789c9d9d775e4fd5f34be64cb0a 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 git.kernel.org
git.kernel.org/stable/c/10b0ce629123a3737b4eda50188f73bb7be7b68b 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 git.kernel.org
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