NULL pointer dereference in Linux

CVE-2025-38706

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ASoC: core: Check for rtd == NULL in snd_soc_remove_pcm_runtime() snd_soc_remove_pcm_runtime() might be called with rtd == NULL which will leads to null pointer dereference. This was reproduced with topology loading and marking a link as ignore due to missing hardware component on the system. On module removal the soc_tplg_remove_link() would call snd_soc_remove_pcm_runtime() with rtd == NULL since the link was ignored, no runtime was created.

EPSS: 0.002 (7.6th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

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.

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

Public proof-of-concept exploits

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2025-38706?
CVE-2025-38706 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux, classified under NULL Pointer Dereference. CVSS score: 5.5/10. Published 2025-09-04.
How severe is CVE-2025-38706?
Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 5.5 out of 10.
Is CVE-2025-38706 known to be exploited?
1 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.