Bug 2426122 (CVE-2023-54300)

Summary: CVE-2023-54300 kernel: wifi: ath9k: avoid referencing uninit memory in ath9k_wmi_ctrl_rx
Product: [Other] Security Response Reporter: OSIDB Bzimport <bzimport>
Component: vulnerabilityAssignee: Product Security DevOps Team <prodsec-dev>
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Version: unspecifiedKeywords: Security
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OS: Linux   
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A flaw was identified in the Linux kernel’s ath9k wireless driver where the receiver packet handling code did not correctly validate the length of incoming SKBs before accessing subsequent fields expected to be present. In certain malformed packet conditions (e.g., pkt_len set too small), the driver could reference uninitialized memory when attempting to parse expected control data, leading to unpredictable behavior including kernel warnings or crashes.
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Description OSIDB Bzimport 2025-12-30 13:10:37 UTC
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

wifi: ath9k: avoid referencing uninit memory in ath9k_wmi_ctrl_rx

For the reasons also described in commit b383e8abed41 ("wifi: ath9k: avoid
uninit memory read in ath9k_htc_rx_msg()"), ath9k_htc_rx_msg() should
validate pkt_len before accessing the SKB.

For example, the obtained SKB may have been badly constructed with
pkt_len = 8. In this case, the SKB can only contain a valid htc_frame_hdr
but after being processed in ath9k_htc_rx_msg() and passed to
ath9k_wmi_ctrl_rx() endpoint RX handler, it is expected to have a WMI
command header which should be located inside its data payload.

Implement sanity checking inside ath9k_wmi_ctrl_rx(). Otherwise, uninit
memory can be referenced.

Tested on Qualcomm Atheros Communications AR9271 802.11n .

Found by Linux Verification Center (linuxtesting.org) with Syzkaller.