Linux Kernel rt2x00 Wireless Driver Memory Leak Vulnerability

A memory leak vulnerability has been identified in the Linux kernel's rt2x00 wireless driver. When an rt2x00 device is removed, the associated channel surveys are not properly freed, leading to a memory leak. This issue can be observed using kmemleak, which reports an unreferenced object related to the memory leak. The vulnerability affects several versions of the Linux kernel.

Impact

The vulnerability causes a memory leak, where unused memory is not released back to the system, potentially leading to increased memory usage and degradation of system performance over time.

Reproduction

The vulnerability can be reproduced by removing an rt2x00 device, such as one based on the RT3070 USB wireless adapter. After the device is removed, the kmemleak tool can be used to observe the unfreed channel survey data, which indicates the presence of the memory leak.

Remediation

The vulnerability has been fixed in the Linux kernel. Users should upgrade to the latest version of the stable Linux kernel to address this issue.