NULL pointer dereference in Linux

CVE-2025-38055

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: perf/x86/intel: Fix segfault with PEBS-via-PT with sample_freq Currently, using PEBS-via-PT with a sample frequency instead of a sample period, causes a segfault. For example: BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000195 <NMI> ? __die_body.cold+0x19/0x27 ? page_fault_oops+0xca/0x290 ? exc_page_fault+0x7e/0x1b0 ? asm_exc_page_fault+0x26/0x30 ? intel_pmu_pebs_event_update_no_drain+0x40/0x60 ? intel_pmu_pebs_event_update_no_drain+0x32/0x60 intel_pmu_drain_pebs_icl+0x333/0x350 handle_pmi_common+0x272/0x3c0 intel_pmu_handle_irq+0x10a/0x2e0 perf_event_nmi_handler+0x2a/0x50 That happens because intel_pmu_pebs_event_update_no_drain() assumes all the pebs_enabled bits represent counter indexes, which is not always the case. In this particular case, bits 60 and 61 are set for PEBS-via-PT purposes. The behaviour of PEBS-via-PT with sample frequency is questionable because although a PMI is generated (PEBS_PMI_AFTER_EACH_RECORD), the period is not adjusted anyway. Putting that aside, fix intel_pmu_pebs_event_update_no_drain() by passing the mask of counter bits instead of 'size'. Note, prior to the Fixes commit, 'size' would be limited to the maximum counter index, so the issue was not hit.

Published · last modified .

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 5.5 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.002 (7.4th percentile), scored .

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 7th percentile — 7.4% 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-2025-38055: held from 0.002 to 0.002.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.002 · newest: 0.002 · change: +0.000

Affected products

  • Linux — versions a9d6d466bcf0621a872e1052bc40e4c6f0541b8d, 6.14.9, 6.11
  • Linux Kernel — versions 6.15

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2025-38055?
CVE-2025-38055 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux, classified under NULL Pointer Dereference. CVSS score: 5.5/10. Published 2025-06-18.
How severe is CVE-2025-38055?
Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 5.5 out of 10.