CVE-2025-38586: linux kernel Null Dereference — Fix

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf, arm64: Fix fp initialization for exception boundary In the ARM64 BPF JIT when prog->aux->exception_boundary is set for a BPF program, find_used_callee_regs() is not called because for a program acting as exception boundary, all callee saved registers are saved. find_used_callee_regs() sets `ctx->fp_used = true;` when it sees FP being used in any of the instructions. For programs acting as exception boundary, ctx->fp_used remains false even if frame pointer is used by the program and therefore, FP is not set-up for such programs in the prologue. This can cause the kernel to crash due to a pagefault. Fix it by setting ctx->fp_used = true for exception boundary programs as fp is always saved in such programs.

Is your site exposed to CVE-2025-38586?

Run a free security scan — no signup, results in seconds.

CVSS v3.1 Score

5.5

MEDIUM

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-476 CWE-476

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions
linux	linux_kernel	6.12 — 6.12.42
linux	linux_kernel	6.13 — 6.15.10
linux	linux_kernel	6.16 — 6.16.1

References

Advisories & Patches

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0dbef493cae7d451f740558665893c000adb2321 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1ce30231e0a2c8c361ee5f8f7f265fc17130adce https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b114fcee766d5101eada1aca7bb5fd0a86c89b35 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e23184725dbb72d5d02940222eee36dbba2aa422

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-38586? +

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf, arm64: Fix fp initialization for exception boundary In the ARM64 BPF JIT when prog->aux->exception_boundary is set for a BPF program, find_used_callee_regs() is not called because for a program acting as exception boundary, all callee saved registers are saved. find_used_callee_regs() sets `ctx->fp_used = true;` when it sees FP being used in any of the instructions. For programs acting as exception boundary, ctx->fp_used remains false even if frame pointer is used by the program and therefore, FP is not set-up for such programs in the prologue. This can cause the kernel to crash due to a pagefault. Fix it by setting ctx->fp_used = true for exception boundary programs as fp is always saved in such programs. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2025-38586? +

CVE-2025-38586 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.5 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance.

What products are affected by CVE-2025-38586? +

CVE-2025-38586 affects products from linux, specifically: linux_kernel. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2025-38586? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

Related Vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-8479

IEC 60870-5-104 used in bidirectional mode in RTU500 is vulnerable for a NULL pointer dereferencing, if a specially crafted sequence …

CVE-2025-24031

PAM-PKCS#11 is a Linux-PAM login module that allows a X.509 certificate based user login. In versions 0.6.12 and prior, the …

CVE-2025-31115

XZ Utils provide a general-purpose data-compression library plus command-line tools. In XZ Utils 5.3.3alpha to 5.8.0, the multithreaded .xz decoder …

CVE-2025-0121

A null pointer dereference vulnerability in the Palo Alto Networks Cortex® XDR agent on Windows devices allows a low-privileged local …

CVE-2023-45925

GNU Midnight Commander 4.8.29-146-g299d9a2fb was discovered to contain a NULL pointer dereference via the function x_error_handler() at tty/x11conn.c. NOTE: this …

CVE-2025-6398

A null pointer dereference vulnerability exists in the IOMap64.sys driver of ASUS AI Suite 3. The vulnerability can be triggered …

CVE-2025-38586