CVE-2025-38569
MediumIn the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: benet: fix BUG when creating VFs benet crashes as soon as SRIOV VFs are created: kernel BUG at mm/vmalloc.c:3457! Oops: invalid opcode: 0000 [#1] SMP KASAN NOPTI CPU: 4 UID: 0 PID: 7408 Comm: test.sh Kdump: loaded Not tainted 6.16.0+ #1 PREEMPT(voluntary) [...] RIP: 0010:vunmap+0x5f/0x70 [...] Call Trace: <TASK> __iommu_dma_free+0xe8/0x1c0 be_cmd_set_mac_list+0x3fe/0x640 [be2net] be_cmd_set_mac+0xaf/0x110 [be2net] be_vf_eth_addr_config+0x19f/0x330 [be2net] be_vf_setup+0x4f7/0x990 [be2net] be_pci_sriov_configure+0x3a1/0x470 [be2net] sriov_numvfs_store+0x20b/0x380 kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x354/0x530 vfs_write+0x9b9/0xf60 ksys_write+0xf3/0x1d0 do_syscall_64+0x8c/0x3d0 be_cmd_set_mac_list() calls dma_free_coherent() under a spin_lock_bh. Fix it by freeing only after the lock has been released.
CVSS 3.1 score
5.5
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness type
CWE-476CVE-2025-38569 is a NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerability
What is NULL Pointer Dereference?
The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL, typically causing a crash. Learn more on MITRE CWE
Affected versions
Linux kernel versions
5.4.291,
5.10.235,
5.15.179,
6.1.131,
6.6.83,
6.12.19,
6.13.7,
6.14
and later are affected. Fixed in
5.4.297,
5.10.241,
5.15.190,
6.1.148,
6.6.102,
6.12.42,
6.15.10,
6.16.1,
6.17
and their respective stable series.
References
The following references provide additional information about CVE-2025-38569 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.
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Mailing List Third Party Advisory
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Mailing List Third Party Advisory
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PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0ddfe8b127ef1149fddccb79db6e6eaba7738e7d
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PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3697e37e012bbd2bb5a5b467689811ba097b2eff
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PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/46d44a23a3723a89deeb65b13cddb17f8d9f2700
Frequently asked questions
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What is CVE-2025-38569?
CVE-2025-38569 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10 , classified as a NULL Pointer Dereference flaw (CWE-476) . It affects Linux kernel versions from 5.4.291 onward and has been patched in 5.4.297, 5.10.241, 5.15.190 and others. CVE-2025-38569 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
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What is the CVSS score for CVE-2025-38569?
CVE-2025-38569 has a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, rated Medium severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H. -
Is there a patch available for CVE-2025-38569?
Yes — CVE-2025-38569 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.4.297, 5.10.241, 5.15.190 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 5.4.291 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
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Is CVE-2025-38569 actively exploited?
No — CVE-2025-38569 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.
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What is NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476)?
The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL, typically causing a crash. View CWE-476 on MITRE CWE →