CVE-2025-38569

Medium

In 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.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2025-08-19
Last modified 2026-01-08
CVSS version 3.1
Patch available
Yes

CVSS 3.1 score

5.5

out of 10
Medium
Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
High
Vector string
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Weakness type

CWE-476

CVE-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.

Affected from
≥ 5.4.291 ≥ 5.10.235 ≥ 5.15.179 ≥ 6.1.131 ≥ 6.6.83 ≥ 6.12.19 ≥ 6.13.7 ≥ 6.14
Fixed in
✓ 5.4.297 5.4.x ✓ 5.10.241 5.10.x ✓ 5.15.190 5.15.x ✓ 6.1.148 6.1.x ✓ 6.6.102 6.6.x ✓ 6.12.42 6.12.x ✓ 6.15.10 6.15.x ✓ 6.16.1 6.16.x ✓ 6.17

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.

Frequently asked questions

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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 →