Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2025-22070

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-04-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.12.23 / 6.13.11 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click Patch available

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fs/9p: fix NULL pointer dereference on mkdir When a 9p tree was mounted with option 'posixacl', parent directory had a default ACL set for its subdirectories, e.g.: setfacl -m default:group:simpsons:rwx parentdir then creating a subdirectory crashed 9p client, as v9fs_fid_add() call in function v9fs_vfs_mkdir_dotl() sets the passed 'fid' pointer to NULL (since dafbe689736) even though the subsequent v9fs_set_create_acl() call expects a valid non-NULL 'fid' pointer: [ 37.273191] BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000 ... [ 37.322338] Call Trace: [ 37.323043] <TASK> [ 37.323621] ? __die (arch/x86/kernel/dumpstack.c:421 arch/x86/kernel/dumpstack.c:434) [ 37.324448] ? page_fault_oops (arch/x86/mm/fault.c:714) [ 37.325532] ? search_module_extables (kernel/module/main.c:3733) [ 37.326742] ? p9_client_walk (net/9p/client.c:1165) 9pnet [ 37.328006] ? search_bpf_extables (kernel/bpf/core.c:804) [ 37.329142] ? exc_page_fault (./arch/x86/include/asm/paravirt.h:686 arch/x86/mm/fault.c:1488 arch/x86/mm/fault.c:1538) [ 37.330196] ? asm_exc_page_fault (./arch/x86/include/asm/idtentry.h:574) [ 37.331330] ? p9_client_walk (net/9p/client.c:1165) 9pnet [ 37.332562] ? v9fs_fid_xattr_get (fs/9p/xattr.c:30) 9p [ 37.333824] v9fs_fid_xattr_set (fs/9p/fid.h:23 fs/9p/xattr.c:121) 9p [ 37.335077] v9fs_set_acl (fs/9p/acl.c:276) 9p [ 37.336112] v9fs_set_create_acl (fs/9p/acl.c:307) 9p [ 37.337326] v9fs_vfs_mkdir_dotl (fs/9p/vfs_inode_dotl.c:411) 9p [ 37.338590] vfs_mkdir (fs/namei.c:4313) [ 37.339535] do_mkdirat (fs/namei.c:4336) [ 37.340465] __x64_sys_mkdir (fs/namei.c:4354) [ 37.341455] do_syscall_64 (arch/x86/entry/common.c:52 arch/x86/entry/common.c:83) [ 37.342447] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe (arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:130) Fix this by simply swapping the sequence of these two calls in v9fs_vfs_mkdir_dotl(), i.e. calling v9fs_set_create_acl() before v9fs_fid_add().

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis
How this class of weakness works · CWE-476

The code follows a pointer that is null, crashing the process. An attacker who can reliably trigger it turns the crash into a denial of service. The fix is checking for null before use and handling the failure path gracefully.

General guidance for the null pointer dereference class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:>= 6.0, < 6.12.23>= 6.13, < 6.13.11>= 6.14, < 6.14.2

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 6.12.23 / 6.13.11 / 6.14.2 or later
Fixed in 6.12.236.13.116.14.2
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Linux Kernel 6.12.23, 6.13.11, or 6.14.2 (depending on your current branch)

  1. Upgrade Linux kernel to version 6.12.23 or later if currently on 6.12.x branch
  2. Upgrade Linux kernel to version 6.13.11 or later if currently on 6.13.x branch
  3. Upgrade Linux kernel to version 6.14.2 or later if currently on 6.14.x branch
  4. After upgrading, verify the kernel version with: uname -r
  5. Ensure the 9p filesystem module is loaded or compiled in: modprobe 9pnet (or check kernel config for CONFIG_9P_FS=y)
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require system reboot and could introduce compatibility issues with out-of-tree modules or custom drivers; ensure backups and test in staging first

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $2,850. Get the upgrade done

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-22070 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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