#VU107699 NULL pointer dereference in Linux kernel - CVE-2025-38049

Vulnerability identifier: #VU107699

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 4.3 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2025-38049

CWE-ID: CWE-476

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
Linux kernel
Operating systems & Components / Operating system

Vendor: Linux Foundation

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to perform a denial of service (DoS) attack.

The vulnerability exists due to NULL pointer dereference within the closid_alloc() function in arch/x86/kernel/cpu/resctrl/rdtgroup.c. A local user can perform a denial of service (DoS) attack.

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Linux kernel: 6.13, 6.13.1, 6.13.2, 6.13.3, 6.13.4, 6.13.5, 6.13.6, 6.13.7, 6.13.8, 6.13.9, 6.13.10

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External links
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/93a418fc61da13d1ee4047d4d1327990f7a2816a
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a121798ae669351ec0697c94f71c3a692b2a755b
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a8a1bcc27d4607227088d80483164289b5348293
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ed5addb55e403ad6598102bcf546e068ae01fef6
https://mirrors.edge.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v6.x/ChangeLog-6.13.11

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.