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CVE Record

CVE-2023-54229: wifi: ath11k: fix registration of 6Ghz-only phy without the full channel range

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: ath11k: fix registration of 6Ghz-only phy without the full channel range Because of what seems to be a typo, a 6Ghz-only phy for which the BDF does not allow the 7115Mhz channel will fail to register: WARNING: CPU: 2 PID: 106 at net/wireless/core.c:907 wiphy_register+0x914/0x954 Modules linked in: ath11k_pci sbsa_gwdt CPU: 2 PID: 106 Comm: kworker/u8:5 Not tainted 6.3.0-rc7-next-20230418-00549-g1e096a17625a-dirty #9 Hardware name: Freebox V7R Board (DT) Workqueue: ath11k_qmi_driver_event ath11k_qmi_driver_event_work pstate: 60000005 (nZCv daif -PAN -UAO -TCO -DIT -SSBS BTYPE=--) pc : wiphy_register+0x914/0x954 lr : ieee80211_register_hw+0x67c/0xc10 sp : ffffff800b123aa0 x29: ffffff800b123aa0 x28: 0000000000000000 x27: 0000000000000000 x26: 0000000000000000 x25: 0000000000000006 x24: ffffffc008d51418 x23: ffffffc008cb0838 x22: ffffff80176c2460 x21: 0000000000000168 x20: ffffff80176c0000 x19: ffffff80176c03e0 x18: 0000000000000014 x17: 00000000cbef338c x16: 00000000d2a26f21 x15: 00000000ad6bb85f x14: 0000000000000020 x13: 0000000000000020 x12: 00000000ffffffbd x11: 0000000000000208 x10: 00000000fffffdf7 x9 : ffffffc009394718 x8 : ffffff80176c0528 x7 : 000000007fffffff x6 : 0000000000000006 x5 : 0000000000000005 x4 : ffffff800b304284 x3 : ffffff800b304284 x2 : ffffff800b304d98 x1 : 0000000000000000 x0 : 0000000000000000 Call trace: wiphy_register+0x914/0x954 ieee80211_register_hw+0x67c/0xc10 ath11k_mac_register+0x7c4/0xe10 ath11k_core_qmi_firmware_ready+0x1f4/0x570 ath11k_qmi_driver_event_work+0x198/0x590 process_one_work+0x1b8/0x328 worker_thread+0x6c/0x414 kthread+0x100/0x104 ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20 ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]--- ath11k_pci 0002:01:00.0: ieee80211 registration failed: -22 ath11k_pci 0002:01:00.0: failed register the radio with mac80211: -22 ath11k_pci 0002:01:00.0: failed to create pdev core: -22

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysisunknown

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2023-54229 is a Linux kernel ath11k Wi-Fi driver flaw that can prevent certain 6 GHz-only radios from registering. For affected devices, the business impact is likely loss of Wi-Fi functionality rather than data compromise, based on the supplied sources.

Executive priority

Treat as targeted operational risk for systems relying on affected ath11k Wi-Fi hardware. It does not currently justify emergency response from the supplied evidence, but affected embedded or connectivity-dependent fleets should patch on the next maintenance cycle.

Technical view

The issue is in ath11k registration for a 6 GHz-only phy when the board data file does not allow the 7115 MHz channel. The kernel warning path ends in ieee80211 registration failure with error -22, preventing mac80211 radio creation.

Likely exposure

Exposure appears limited to Linux systems using ath11k-supported Wi-Fi hardware with a 6 GHz-only phy and affected BDF channel permissions. General Linux systems without this hardware or driver path are unlikely to be exposed.

Exploitation context

The source bundle shows KEV is false and provides no evidence of active exploitation. The described failure occurs during device registration, suggesting a reliability or availability issue tied to specific hardware configuration.

Researcher notes

The CVE has no CVSS, CWE, or exploit evidence in the bundle. Analysis should focus on affected kernel branches, ath11k hardware presence, 6 GHz-only phy behavior, BDF channel restrictions, and whether downstream vendors backported the stable fix.

Mitigation direction

  • Update to a Linux kernel or vendor backport containing the referenced ath11k fix.
  • Check distribution, device, or embedded vendor advisories for the corrected kernel package.
  • Prioritize devices using ath11k 6 GHz-only radios or affected embedded Wi-Fi platforms.
  • Use vendor-supported kernels rather than carrying unreviewed local driver changes.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Linux systems using ath11k_pci or related ath11k drivers.
  • Check kernel versions against the CVE affected and fixed release information.
  • Review boot logs for wiphy_register warnings or ath11k registration failures with error -22.
  • Confirm the relevant stable kernel commit is present in vendor kernel sources.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
7

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

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CVE-2023-54229 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

0CVSS vectors
3Timeline events
0ADP providers
6Source links

Vulnerability timeline

Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.

  1. CVE reservedCVE Program

    The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.

  2. CVE publishedCVE Program

    The CVE record was published.

  3. CVE updatedCVE Program

    The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinux22eeadcdeab63e88983401f699f61a0121c03a0d, 22eeadcdeab63e88983401f699f61a0121c03a0d, 22eeadcdeab63e88983401f699f61a0121c03a0d, 22eeadcdeab63e88983401f699f61a0121c03a0d, 22eeadcdeab63e88983401f699f61a0121c03a0dunaffected
LinuxLinux5.9, 0, 5.10.188, 5.15.150, 6.1.42, 6.4.7, 6.5affected
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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