rtw_core_enable_beacon() reads 4 bytes from an address that is not a multiple of 4. This misaligned access triggers an alignment fault, causing the kernel to oops and the system to crash. The vulnerability is a local denial‑of‑service because it requires execution within the driver context, but an attacker with kernel or device‑driver privileges could force the crash. Affected systems: The flaw resides in the Linux kernel’s rtw88 Wi‑Fi driver used in many consumer routers, development boards and laptops that implement RTL8822‑based adapters. Public references show crashes on a FriendlyElec NanoPC‑T6 LTS running kernel 6.17.9, but any Linux kernel containing the unpatched rtw88 module could be impacted. No explicit affected‑version list is published, so all distributions deploying the driver should consider it unpatched until a kernel update is applied. Risk and exploitability: The CVSS score of 5.5 places the bug in the medium severity range; the EPSS value of less than 1 % indicates a very low probability of exploitation in the wild, and it is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog. The impact is limited to the host system with no remote code execution or data exfiltration. The most likely attack vector is a local attacker who can trigger beacon enabling to induce a crash, such as a malicious application or Wi‑Fi firmware.

Linux kernel with the rtw88 Wi‑Fi driver, including RTL8822‑based adapters on consumer routers, development boards, and laptops. The bug was observed on a FriendlyElec NanoPC‑T6 LTS running kernel 6.17.9, but any kernel using the unpatched rtw88 module is potentially affected.

The CVSS score of 5.5 indicates moderate severity, while an EPSS of <1 % suggests a low likelihood of exploitation. The vulnerability does not provide remote code execution or data theft; its effect is a kernel crash that can be triggered locally by privileged code. The patch corrects the 32‑bit read to a single‑byte read, eliminating the alignment fault.