CVE-2026-43422
Null Pointer Dereference in Linux Kernel USB NCM Driver
Publication date: 2026-05-08
Last updated on: 2026-05-08
Assigner: kernel.org
Description
Description
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Meta Information
Affected Vendors & Products
| Vendor | Product | Version / Range |
|---|---|---|
| linux | linux_kernel | * |
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
| CWE ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CWE-UNKNOWN |
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Powered Q&A
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?
This vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel's legacy NCM (Network Control Model) USB driver. A recent change deferred the allocation of the net_device structure, which caused the legacy NCM driver to attempt accessing this net_device before it was fully created. This results in a NULL pointer dereference (NPE) during the binding process in the gncm_bind function.
The fix involves storing certain parameters (qmult, host_addr, and dev_addr) into a configuration structure during gncm_bind, so they can be properly applied later when the net_device is fully allocated and configured.
How can this vulnerability impact me? :
This vulnerability can cause a NULL pointer dereference in the legacy NCM USB driver, which may lead to a kernel crash or system instability when the affected code path is executed.
Such crashes could result in denial of service conditions on affected systems, potentially disrupting normal operations or requiring a system reboot.