NULL pointer dereference in Linux

CVE-2025-38113

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ACPI: CPPC: Fix NULL pointer dereference when nosmp is used With nosmp in cmdline, other CPUs are not brought up, leaving their cpc_desc_ptr NULL. CPU0's iteration via for_each_possible_cpu() dereferences these NULL pointers, causing panic. Panic backtrace: [ 0.401123] Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at virtual address 00000000000000b8 ... [ 0.403255] [<ffffffff809a5818>] cppc_allow_fast_switch+0x6a/0xd4 ... Kernel panic - not syncing: Attempted to kill init! [ rjw: New subject ]

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 (6.6th percentile), scored .

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 7th percentile — 6.6% 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-2025-38113: held from 0.002 to 0.002.

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

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

Public proof-of-concept exploits

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2025-38113?
CVE-2025-38113 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux, classified under NULL Pointer Dereference. CVSS score: 5.5/10. Published 2025-07-03.
How severe is CVE-2025-38113?
Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 5.5 out of 10.
Is CVE-2025-38113 known to be exploited?
1 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.