A denial of service vulnerability in the Linux kernel iwlwifi Wi-Fi driver allows unauthenticated attackers to cause high CPU usage and memory pressure by failing to halt transmission queues during a firmware crash.

This is a denial of service vulnerability caused by a missing check in the iwlwifi Multi-Link Operation driver, where transmission queues are not stopped during a firmware restart. Unauthenticated network traffic can trigger a tight failure loop leading to severe resource exhaustion.

A successful exploitation of this flaw can result in severe system instability, kernel memory fragmentation, and eventual system crashes or hangs. This leads to operational downtime for affected hosts and disrupted network connectivity for wireless clients, directly impacting business continuity. The high CVSS score of 7.5 reflects the high impact on system availability.

Immediate Action: Update the Linux kernel to version 6.18.34, 7.0.11, or apply the official fix commits from the upstream stable tree.

Proactive Monitoring: Monitor system resource metrics such as kernel slab allocation, CPU utilization, and system logs for repeated iwlwifi error messages indicating firmware crashes.

Compensating Controls: Restrict untrusted network traffic and wireless interfaces where applicable, though standard perimeter firewall rules will have limited efficacy against driver-level resource exhaustion.

Public Exploit Available: false

Administrators managing systems utilizing Intel Wi-Fi 7 or related wireless hardware running vulnerable Linux kernel versions should prioritize updating the kernel. Applying the provided kernel patches ensures that the transmission queue logic properly handles firmware error states, neutralizing the denial of service vector.