CVE-2025-6966

MEDIUM
Published Dec 5, 2025 Modified Jan 7, 2026 CWE-476

Description

NULL pointer dereference in TagSection.keys() in python-apt on APT-based Linux systems allows a local attacker to cause a denial of service (process crash) via a crafted deb822 file with a malformed non-UTF-8 key.

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
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
ubuntu python-apt
canonical ubuntu_linux
debian debian_linux

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-6966? +
NULL pointer dereference in TagSection.keys() in python-apt on APT-based Linux systems allows a local attacker to cause a denial of service (process crash) via a crafted deb822 file with a malformed non-UTF-8 key. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).
How severe is CVE-2025-6966? +
CVE-2025-6966 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-2025-6966? +
CVE-2025-6966 affects products from canonical, debian, ubuntu, specifically: debian_linux, python-apt, ubuntu_linux. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.
How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2025-6966? +
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.

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