CVE-2023-53588: wifi: mac80211: check for station first in client probe

Severity: medium (CVSS 5.5 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.2% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2025-10-04 · updated 2026-06-17

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: mac80211: check for station first in client probe When probing a client, first check if we have it, and then check for the channel context, otherwise you can trigger the warning there easily by probing when the AP isn't even started yet. Since a client existing means the AP is also operating, we can then keep the warning. Also simplify the moved code a bit.

Affected products

Linux kernel: from 3.8 before 6.1.55; from 6.2 before 6.5.5 — fixed in 6.1.55, 6.5.5

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 6.1.55, 6.5.5. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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