NULL pointer dereference in Linux kernel - CVE-2025-38716
Published: September 4, 2025
Vulnerability details
The vulnerability allows a local user to perform a denial of service (DoS) attack.
The vulnerability exists due to NULL pointer dereference within the hfs_ext_keycmp() function in fs/hfs/extent.c, within the hfs_btree_open() function in fs/hfs/btree.c, within the hfs_find_init() function in fs/hfs/bfind.c. A local user can perform a denial of service (DoS) attack.
Affected software
Ubuntu
linux (Ubuntu package)
linux-aws-fips (Ubuntu package)
linux-lowlatency (Ubuntu package)
linux-hwe-6.8 (Ubuntu package)
linux-xilinx (Ubuntu package)
linux-aws (Ubuntu package)
linux-gcp (Ubuntu package)
linux-ibm (Ubuntu package)
linux-nvidia-lowlatency (Ubuntu package)
linux-azure (Ubuntu package)
linux-azure-fips (Ubuntu package)
linux-gcp-fips (Ubuntu package)
linux-gcp-6.8 (Ubuntu package)
linux-azure-6.8 (Ubuntu package)
linux-raspi-realtime (Ubuntu package)
linux-realtime-6.8 (Ubuntu package)
How to mitigate CVE-2025-38716
linux-aws-fips (Ubuntu package) - addressed in versions 6.8.0-100.100+fips1, 6.8.0-1046.49+fips1
linux-lowlatency (Ubuntu package) - update to 6.8.0-100.100.1
linux-hwe-6.8 (Ubuntu package) - addressed in versions 6.8.0-100.100.1~22.04.1, 6.8.0-100.100~22.04.1
linux-xilinx (Ubuntu package) - addressed in versions 6.8.0.1023.24, 6.8.0-1023.24
linux-aws (Ubuntu package) - addressed in versions 6.8.0-1030.33, 6.8.0-1043.44, 6.8.0-1043.44~22.04.1, 6.8.0-1046.49~22.04.1
linux-gcp (Ubuntu package) - addressed in versions 6.8.0-1043.48, 6.8.0-1047.50~22.04.2
linux-ibm (Ubuntu package) - addressed in versions 6.8.0-1044.44, 6.8.0-1044.44~22.04.1
linux-nvidia-lowlatency (Ubuntu package) - update to 6.8.0-1046.49.1
linux-azure (Ubuntu package) - update to 6.8.0-1046.52
linux-azure-fips (Ubuntu package) - update to 6.8.0-1046.52+fips1
linux-gcp-fips (Ubuntu package) - update to 6.8.0-1047.50+fips1
linux-gcp-6.8 (Ubuntu package) - update to 6.8.0-1047.50~22.04.2
linux-azure-6.8 (Ubuntu package) - update to 6.8.0-1051.57~22.04.1
linux-raspi-realtime (Ubuntu package) - addressed in versions 6.8.0-2037.38, 6.8.1-1041.42
linux-realtime-6.8 (Ubuntu package) - update to 6.8.1-1041.42~22.04.1
External References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4f032979b63ad52e08aadf0faeac34ed35133ec0
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5d8b249527362e0ccafcaf76b3bec2a0d2aa1498
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6e20e10064fdc43231636fca519c15c013a8e3d6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/736a0516a16268995f4898eded49bfef077af709
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b918c17a1934ac6309b0083f41d4e9d8fb3bb46c
Related Security Bulletins
- NULL pointer dereference in Linux kernel hfs
- Ubuntu update for linux
- Ubuntu update for linux-realtime-6.8
- Ubuntu update for linux-gcp-6.8
- Ubuntu update for linux-aws-fips
- Ubuntu update for linux-raspi-realtime
- Ubuntu update for linux-aws
- Ubuntu update for linux-gcp-fips
- Ubuntu update for linux-hwe-6.8
- Ubuntu update for linux-lowlatency
- Ubuntu update for linux-gcp
- Ubuntu update for linux-nvidia-lowlatency
- Ubuntu update for linux-xilinx
- Ubuntu update for linux-ibm
- Ubuntu update for linux-azure-fips
- Ubuntu update for linux-azure
- Ubuntu update for linux-azure-6.8