In the Linux kernel Wi‑Fi driver ath11k, a bug causes the num_stations counter to remain unreset after repeated hardware restart events. When the counter reaches 128, the driver can no longer accept new stations or mesh peers, leading to kernel warnings and association failures. This manifests as a denial of service: clients cannot connect, effectively breaking the wireless network.

This issue affects all Linux systems that use the ath11k driver prior to the patch that introduces a reset of ar->num_stations in ath11k_mac_op_start(). The specific affected kernel versions are not listed in the advisory, but any kernel that builds the ath11k module without the fix may be vulnerable. Users should check their kernel version against the commit that added the reset logic and update accordingly.

The advisory does not provide EPSS or a KEV listing, so the exploit likelihood cannot be quantified. Based solely on the description, the bug is triggered during hardware restart, indicating that a local user or attacker with the ability to reset or reboot the Wi‑Fi device could induce the failure. The impact is limited to denial of service of the wireless interface, with no confirmed remote code execution or privilege escalation. The absence of a publicly listed CVSS score makes it difficult to assess severity, but the disruption of client connectivity is significant for environments relying on ath11k hardware.