CVE-2025-68213
BaseFortify
Publication date: 2025-12-16
Last updated on: 2025-12-18
Assigner: kernel.org
Description
Description
CVSS Scores
EPSS Scores
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Meta Information
Affected Vendors & Products
| Vendor | Product | Version / Range |
|---|---|---|
| intel | idpf | * |
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
| CWE ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CWE-UNKNOWN |
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Powered Q&A
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?
This vulnerability is a NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel's idpf driver. It occurs when attempting to remove the driver in cases where the virtual port (vport) failed to initialize, such as during a failed attempt to create a virtual function (VF). The issue causes a kernel crash due to dereferencing a NULL pointer without checking if the pointer is valid before freeing related resources.
How can this vulnerability impact me? :
This vulnerability can cause the Linux kernel to crash when the idpf driver is removed under certain failure conditions. Such crashes can lead to system instability, downtime, and potential loss of data or service availability.
How can this vulnerability be detected on my network or system? Can you suggest some commands?
This vulnerability can be detected by monitoring the system logs for kernel crash messages related to the idpf driver. Specifically, look for kernel NULL pointer dereference errors and messages similar to the following in dmesg or /var/log/kern.log: - "idpf: Device HW Reset initiated" - "Transaction timed-out" - "BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference" - Call trace involving idpf_remove and pci_device_remove You can use the command `dmesg | grep -i idpf` or `journalctl -k | grep -i idpf` to search for these messages.
What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?
To mitigate this vulnerability immediately, avoid removing the idpf driver when the vport has failed to initialize, as this triggers the NULL pointer dereference. Applying the patch that adds a NULL pointer check for vport_config before freeing user_config.q_coalesce will prevent the crash. Until the patch is applied, avoid operations that remove the driver or disable SR-IOV on affected devices to prevent triggering the issue.