NULL pointer dereference in Linux

CVE-2025-21844

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: smb: client: Add check for next_buffer in receive_encrypted_standard() Add check for the return value of cifs_buf_get() and cifs_small_buf_get() in receive_encrypted_standard() to prevent null pointer dereference.

Published · last modified .

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.5 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.006 (46.9th percentile), scored .

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 47th percentile — 46.9% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS trend (30 days)EPSS over the last 30 days for CVE-2025-21844: held from 0.006 to 0.006.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.006 · newest: 0.006 · change: +0.000

Affected products

  • Linux — versions 0, 5.10.211, 5.15.179
  • Linux Kernel — versions 5.10.211, 5.15.150, 6.14

Weakness classification (CWE)

Public proof-of-concept exploits

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2025-21844?
CVE-2025-21844 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux, classified under NULL Pointer Dereference. CVSS score: 7.5/10. Published 2025-03-12.
How severe is CVE-2025-21844?
High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.5 out of 10.
Is CVE-2025-21844 known to be exploited?
2 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.