CVE-2023-54025: wifi: rsi: Do not configure WoWlan in shutdown hook if not enabled
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
wifi: rsi: Do not configure WoWlan in shutdown hook if not enabled
In case WoWlan was never configured during the operation of the system,
the hw->wiphy->wowlan_config will be NULL. rsi_config_wowlan() checks
whether wowlan_config is non-NULL and if it is not, then WARNs about it.
The warning is valid, as during normal operation the rsi_config_wowlan()
should only ever be called with non-NULL wowlan_config. In shutdown this
rsi_config_wowlan() should only ever be called if WoWlan was configured
before by the user.
Add checks for non-NULL wowlan_config into the shutdown hook. While at it,
check whether the wiphy is also non-NULL before accessing wowlan_config .
Drop the single-use wowlan_config variable, just inline it into function
call.
Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This Linux kernel issue affects the RSI Wi-Fi driver shutdown path. If Wake-on-WLAN was never configured, shutdown could still call WoWLAN configuration with missing state, causing a kernel warning. The source bundle does not show remote exploitation, data theft, or privilege escalation evidence.
Executive priority
Treat as routine kernel maintenance unless affected systems are sensitive to kernel warnings or shutdown reliability. There is no cited evidence of active exploitation or broad business-impacting compromise.
Technical view
The rsi shutdown hook could call rsi_config_wowlan() when hw->wiphy or hw->wiphy->wowlan_config was NULL. The fix adds NULL checks and only configures WoWLAN during shutdown when the user previously configured it.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to Linux systems using the RSI Wi-Fi driver and affected kernel builds. Downstream distribution impact depends on whether the relevant stable fixes were backported.
Exploitation context
No active exploitation is reported in KEV, and the supplied sources do not describe exploitability. The observed failure mode is a kernel WARN during shutdown when WoWLAN was not configured.
Researcher notes
The fix is defensive NULL checking in the shutdown path. The source bundle does not provide CVSS, CWE, exploit detail, or a demonstrated security impact beyond the WARN condition.
Mitigation direction
Update to a kernel containing the referenced stable fixes.
Check Linux distribution advisories for backported kernel packages.
Prioritize RSI Wi-Fi driver systems if kernel warning policy is strict.
Review vendor guidance before applying operational workarounds.
Validation and detection
Inventory systems using the RSI Wi-Fi driver.
Check running kernel versions against vendor-fixed packages.
Confirm whether WoWLAN is used or configured on affected systems.
Review shutdown logs for related RSI or WoWLAN warnings.
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Potential ATT&CK relevance
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Vulnerability timeline
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CVE reservedCVE Program
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CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
Dec 24, 2025, 10:55 UTC (UTC+00:00)
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