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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2025-23147

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-05-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.4.293 / 5.10.237 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: i3c: Add NULL pointer check in i3c_master_queue_ibi() The I3C master driver may receive an IBI from a target device that has not been probed yet. In such cases, the master calls `i3c_master_queue_ibi()` to queue an IBI work task, leading to "Unable to handle kernel read from unreadable memory" and resulting in a kernel panic. Typical IBI handling flow: 1. The I3C master scans target devices and probes their respective drivers. 2. The target device driver calls `i3c_device_request_ibi()` to enable IBI and assigns `dev->ibi = ibi`. 3. The I3C master receives an IBI from the target device and calls `i3c_master_queue_ibi()` to queue the target device driver’s IBI handler task. However, since target device events are asynchronous to the I3C probe sequence, step 3 may occur before step 2, causing `dev->ibi` to be `NULL`, leading to a kernel panic. Add a NULL pointer check in `i3c_master_queue_ibi()` to prevent accessing an uninitialized `dev->ibi`, ensuring stability.

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:>= 5.0, < 5.4.293>= 5.5, < 5.10.237>= 5.11, < 5.15.181>= 5.16, < 6.1.135>= 6.2, < 6.6.88>= 6.7, < 6.12.24>= 6.13, < 6.13.12>= 6.14, < 6.14.3
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 11.0

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 5.4.293 / 5.10.237 / 5.15.181 or later
Fixed in 5.4.2935.10.2375.15.181
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Linux Kernel >= 5.4.293 / 5.10.237 / 5.15.181 / 6.1.135 (depending on used branch); Debian 11 kernel from Debian LTS or security updates

  1. 1. Check current kernel version: `uname -r`
  2. 2. For Debian 11 (bullseye): Update package lists and upgrade kernel using `apt update && apt upgrade linux-image-*`
  3. 3. For other distributions: Install a kernel version >= 5.4.293, >= 5.10.237, >= 5.15.181, or >= 6.1.135 depending on your kernel branch
  4. 4. After kernel upgrade, reboot the system: `reboot`
  5. 5. Verify kernel version after reboot with `uname -r` to confirm the fix is applied
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require rebuilding third-party kernel modules; ensure compatibility with system dependencies

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-2025-23147 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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