CVE-2026-45846
NULL pointer dereference in Linux kernel bareudp module
Publication date: 2026-05-27
Last updated on: 2026-05-27
Assigner: kernel.org
Description
Description
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Meta Information
Affected Vendors & Products
| Vendor | Product | Version / Range |
|---|---|---|
| linux_kernel | 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 bareudp driver, specifically in the function bareudp_fill_metadata_dst(). The function calls udp_tunnel6_dst_lookup() in the IPv6 path without checking if the socket (bareudp->sock) is NULL. Since the socket is only created in bareudp_open() and set to NULL in bareudp_stop(), calling bareudp_fill_metadata_dst() while the device is down causes a NULL pointer dereference, leading to a kernel crash.
The issue is fixed by adding a NULL check that returns an error code (-ESHUTDOWN) if the socket is NULL, preventing the kernel from dereferencing a NULL pointer.
How can this vulnerability impact me? :
This vulnerability can cause a kernel NULL pointer dereference, which typically results in a kernel crash or system instability. An attacker or a certain sequence of events could trigger this condition, potentially causing denial of service (DoS) by crashing the affected system.