Linux Kernel RTW88 Wireless Driver Unload Crash and Memory Leak Vulnerability

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's RTW88 wireless driver can lead to a crash and memory leak when the driver is unloaded. This issue arises because the driver fails to properly delete the transmission (TX) purge timer and free the Command-to-Host (C2H) queue during the cleanup process. As a result, the driver may leave behind unfreed memory, causing a leak. Additionally, the critical section of the cleanup routine is unnecessarily long, as it holds a lock while processing the COEX queue, which could be managed outside of the locked section.

Impact

The vulnerability can cause a system crash and a memory leak, which may degrade system performance over time.

Remediation

Users can apply the latest patches available in the Linux kernel stable tree to address this vulnerability.