CVE-2022-50880 in Linux
Summary
by MITRE • 12/30/2025
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
wifi: ath10k: add peer map clean up for peer delete in ath10k_sta_state()
When peer delete failed in a disconnect operation, use-after-free detected by KFENCE in below log. It is because for each vdev_id and address, it has only one struct ath10k_peer, it is allocated in ath10k_peer_map_event(). When connected to an AP, it has more than one HTT_T2H_MSG_TYPE_PEER_MAP reported from firmware, then the array peer_map of struct ath10k will be set muti-elements to the same ath10k_peer in ath10k_peer_map_event(). When peer delete failed in ath10k_sta_state(), the ath10k_peer will be free for the 1st peer id in array peer_map of struct ath10k, and then use-after-free happened for the 2nd peer id because they map to the same ath10k_peer.
And clean up all peers in array peer_map for the ath10k_peer, then user-after-free disappeared
peer map event log: [ 306.911021] wlan0: authenticate with b0:2a:43:e6:75:0e
[ 306.957187] ath10k_pci 0000:01:00.0: mac vdev 0 peer create b0:2a:43:e6:75:0e (new sta) sta 1 / 32 peer 1 / 33
[ 306.957395] ath10k_pci 0000:01:00.0: htt peer map vdev 0 peer b0:2a:43:e6:75:0e id 246
[ 306.957404] ath10k_pci 0000:01:00.0: htt peer map vdev 0 peer b0:2a:43:e6:75:0e id 198
[ 306.986924] ath10k_pci 0000:01:00.0: htt peer map vdev 0 peer b0:2a:43:e6:75:0e id 166
peer unmap event log: [ 435.715691] wlan0: deauthenticating from b0:2a:43:e6:75:0e by local choice (Reason: 3=DEAUTH_LEAVING)
[ 435.716802] ath10k_pci 0000:01:00.0: mac vdev 0 peer delete b0:2a:43:e6:75:0e sta ffff990e0e9c2b50 (sta gone)
[ 435.717177] ath10k_pci 0000:01:00.0: htt peer unmap vdev 0 peer b0:2a:43:e6:75:0e id 246
[ 435.717186] ath10k_pci 0000:01:00.0: htt peer unmap vdev 0 peer b0:2a:43:e6:75:0e id 198
[ 435.717193] ath10k_pci 0000:01:00.0: htt peer unmap vdev 0 peer b0:2a:43:e6:75:0e id 166
use-after-free log: [21705.888627] wlan0: deauthenticating from d0:76:8f:82:be:75 by local choice (Reason: 3=DEAUTH_LEAVING)
[21713.799910] ath10k_pci 0000:01:00.0: failed to delete peer d0:76:8f:82:be:75 for vdev 0: -110
[21713.799925] ath10k_pci 0000:01:00.0: found sta peer d0:76:8f:82:be:75 (ptr 0000000000000000 id 102) entry on vdev 0 after it was supposedly removed
[21713.799968] ==================================================================
[21713.799991] BUG: KFENCE: use-after-free read in ath10k_sta_state+0x265/0xb8a [ath10k_core]
[21713.799991]
[21713.799997] Use-after-free read at 0x00000000abe1c75e (in kfence-#69):
[21713.800010] ath10k_sta_state+0x265/0xb8a [ath10k_core]
[21713.800041] drv_sta_state+0x115/0x677 [mac80211]
[21713.800059] __sta_info_destroy_part2+0xb1/0x133 [mac80211]
[21713.800076] __sta_info_flush+0x11d/0x162 [mac80211]
[21713.800093] ieee80211_set_disassoc+0x12d/0x2f4 [mac80211]
[21713.800110] ieee80211_mgd_deauth+0x26c/0x29b [mac80211]
[21713.800137] cfg80211_mlme_deauth+0x13f/0x1bb [cfg80211]
[21713.800153] nl80211_deauthenticate+0xf8/0x121 [cfg80211]
[21713.800161] genl_rcv_msg+0x38e/0x3be
[21713.800166] netlink_rcv_skb+0x89/0xf7
[21713.800171] genl_rcv+0x28/0x36
[21713.800176] netlink_unicast+0x179/0x24b
[21713.800181] netlink_sendmsg+0x3a0/0x40e
[21713.800187] sock_sendmsg+0x72/0x76
[21713.800192] ____sys_sendmsg+0x16d/0x1e3
[21713.800196] ___sys_sendmsg+0x95/0xd1
[21713.800200] __sys_sendmsg+0x85/0xbf
[21713.800205] do_syscall_64+0x43/0x55
[21713.800210] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x44/0xa9
[21713.800213]
[21713.800219] kfence-#69: 0x000000009149b0d5-0x000000004c0697fb, size=1064, cache=kmalloc-2k
[21713.800219]
[21713.800224] allocated by task 13 on cpu 0 at 21705.501373s:
[21713.800241] ath10k_peer_map_event+0x7e/0x154 [ath10k_core]
[21713.800254] ath10k_htt_t2h_msg_handler+0x586/0x1039 [ath10k_core]
[21713.800265] ath10k_htt_htc_t2h_msg_handler+0x12/0x28 [ath10k_core]
[21713.800277] ath10k_htc_rx_completion_handler+0x14c/0x1b5 [ath10k_core]
[21713.800283] ath10k_pci_process_rx_cb+0x195/0x1d
---truncated---
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/26/2026
The vulnerability CVE-2022-50880 resides within the Linux kernel's ath10k wireless driver, specifically in the handling of peer management during station state transitions. This issue manifests as a use-after-free condition that occurs when a wireless station disconnects from an access point, and the driver fails to properly clean up all references to a peer structure. The root cause stems from a design flaw in how peer mapping events are handled, where a single peer structure can be mapped to multiple peer identifiers within an array, creating a scenario where freeing occurs only once despite multiple references.
The technical flaw is deeply rooted in the ath10k driver's peer management logic, particularly in the ath10k_sta_state() function. When a peer deletion operation fails during a disconnect sequence, the driver attempts to clean up the peer structure but only processes the first occurrence in the peer_map array. This leaves subsequent references to the same peer structure in other array positions, resulting in a use-after-free condition when those remaining references are accessed. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-416 as a use-after-free error, which is a common class of memory safety issues that can lead to system instability or potential exploitation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant within wireless networking environments, particularly in systems utilizing ath10k-based wireless hardware. When triggered, the use-after-free condition can cause kernel crashes, system hangs, or unpredictable behavior in wireless connectivity. The vulnerability is especially concerning because it can be triggered during normal wireless disconnect operations, making it a persistent threat to system stability. The KFENCE detection mechanism in the kernel's memory safety framework identified this issue, indicating that it occurs in a context where memory corruption is likely to be detected by modern kernel debugging tools. This vulnerability affects wireless networking functionality and can potentially be exploited to cause denial of service conditions or system instability in embedded devices, laptops, and servers relying on affected wireless hardware.
The fix implemented addresses the core issue by ensuring that all peer references within the peer_map array are properly cleaned up when a peer deletion operation fails. This approach prevents the premature freeing of peer structures while maintaining proper reference counting and cleanup semantics. The mitigation strategy aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which involves avoiding or mitigating system resource exhaustion attacks. The fix ensures that each peer structure is properly dereferenced and freed only when all references to it have been removed, thereby preventing the use-after-free scenario. This resolution follows established kernel security practices for memory management and peer tracking in wireless networking drivers, aligning with industry standards for secure kernel development and wireless subsystem design. The solution maintains backward compatibility while ensuring proper resource management throughout the wireless station lifecycle.