NULL pointer dereference in Linux

CVE-2026-23197

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: i2c: imx: preserve error state in block data length handler When a block read returns an invalid length, zero or >I2C_SMBUS_BLOCK_MAX, the length handler sets the state to IMX_I2C_STATE_FAILED. However, i2c_imx_master_isr() unconditionally overwrites this with IMX_I2C_STATE_READ_CONTINUE, causing an endless read loop that overruns buffers and crashes the system. Guard the state transition to preserve error states set by the length handler.

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: 0.001 (0.9th percentile), scored .

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 1st percentile — 0.9% 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-2026-23197: held from 0.001 to 0.001.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.001 · newest: 0.001 · change: +0.000

Affected products

  • Linux — versions 5f5c2d4579ca6836f5604cca979debd68ecfe23f, 6.13, 0
  • Linux Kernel — versions 6.19

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-23197?
CVE-2026-23197 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux, classified under NULL Pointer Dereference. CVSS score: 5.5/10. Published 2026-02-14.
How severe is CVE-2026-23197?
Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 5.5 out of 10.