The ath11k wireless driver in the Linux kernel has a flaw where certain WMI WOW calls follow error paths that bypass the normal return‑value check, causing the kernel to leave a socket buffer allocated instead of freeing it. This results in a kernel‑level memory leak that can exhaust system resources over time and potentially destabilize the operating system. The vulnerability corresponds to CWE‑772, Unreleased Resource. The impact is limited to a resource exhaustion scenario rather than immediate code execution.

All Linux kernel builds that enable the ath11k driver are affected. The issue is in the generic Linux kernel product; affected versions include any kernel that contains the old error‑path handling code before the patch commit was applied. No specific kernel version numbers are listed in the advisory.

The CVSS score for this issue is 5.5, indicating a moderate severity. EPSS is reported as less than 1%, reflecting a very low likelihood of exploitation in the wild. The flaw is not listed in CISA’s KEV catalog. Because the bug resides entirely in a driver and only causes a memory leak when its error paths are exercised locally, the standard attack vector is local or requires privileged access to the Wi‑Fi subsystem. It does not provide remote code execution or a direct privilege‑escalation path, so the overall risk to the system is moderate to low in typical deployments.