NULL pointer dereference in Linux

CVE-2026-53165

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: iomap: avoid potential null folio->mapping deref during error reporting When a buffered read fails, iomap_finish_folio_read() reports the error with fserror_report_io(folio->mapping->host, ...). This is called after ifs->read_bytes_pending has been decremented by the bytes attempted to be read. For a folio split across multiple read completions, the folio is only guaranteed to stay locked while read_bytes_pending > 0. Once iomap_finish_folio_read() decrements read_bytes_pending, another in-flight read can complete and end the read on the folio, which unlocks it. This allows truncate logic to run and detach the folio (set folio->mapping to NULL). The error reporting path then can dereference a NULL folio->mapping. As reported by Sam Sun, this is the race that can occur: CPU0: failed completion CPU1: final completion CPU2: truncate ----------------------- ---------------------- -------------- read_bytes_pending -= len finished = false /* preempted before fserror_report_io() */ read_bytes_pending -= len finished = true folio_end_read() truncate clears folio->mapping fserror_report_io( folio->mapping->host, ...) ^ NULL deref Fix this by reporting the error first before decrementing ifs->read_bytes_pending.

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: 0.003 (25.5th percentile), scored .

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 25th percentile — 25.5% 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-2026-53165: held from 0.005 to 0.003.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.005 · newest: 0.003 · change: -0.001

Affected products

  • Linux — versions a9d573ee88af980f14fdadb5c12bbf6a195fb3f1, 7.0, 0
  • Linux Kernel — versions 7.1

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-53165?
CVE-2026-53165 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux, classified under NULL Pointer Dereference. CVSS score: 7.5/10. Published 2026-06-25.
How severe is CVE-2026-53165?
High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.5 out of 10.