#VU103583 NULL pointer dereference in Linux kernel - CVE-2025-21669

Vulnerability identifier: #VU103583

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 1.7 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:U/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2025-21669

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 virtio_transport_recv_pkt() function in net/vmw_vsock/virtio_transport_common.c. A local user can perform a denial of service (DoS) attack.

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Linux kernel: All versions

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External links
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/18a7fc371d1dbf8deff16c2dd9292bcc73f43040
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2cb7c756f605ec02ffe562fb26828e4bcc5fdfc1
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6486915fa661584d70e8e7e4068c6c075c67dd6d
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/677579b641af109613564460a4e3bdcb16850b61
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/88244163bc7e7b0ce9dd7bf4c8a563b41525c3ee
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d88b249e14bd0ee1e46bbe4f456e22e01b8c68de

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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.