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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2025-39674

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-09-05
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.16.4 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: scsi: ufs: ufs-qcom: Fix ESI null pointer dereference ESI/MSI is a performance optimization feature that provides dedicated interrupts per MCQ hardware queue. This is optional feature and UFS MCQ should work with and without ESI feature. Commit e46a28cea29a ("scsi: ufs: qcom: Remove the MSI descriptor abuse") brings a regression in ESI (Enhanced System Interrupt) configuration that causes a null pointer dereference when Platform MSI allocation fails. The issue occurs in when platform_device_msi_init_and_alloc_irqs() in ufs_qcom_config_esi() fails (returns -EINVAL) but the current code uses __free() macro for automatic cleanup free MSI resources that were never successfully allocated. Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at virtual address 0000000000000008 Call trace: mutex_lock+0xc/0x54 (P) platform_device_msi_free_irqs_all+0x1c/0x40 ufs_qcom_config_esi+0x1d0/0x220 [ufs_qcom] ufshcd_config_mcq+0x28/0x104 ufshcd_init+0xa3c/0xf40 ufshcd_pltfrm_init+0x504/0x7d4 ufs_qcom_probe+0x20/0x58 [ufs_qcom] Fix by restructuring the ESI configuration to try MSI allocation first, before any other resource allocation and instead use explicit cleanup instead of __free() macro to avoid cleanup of unallocated resources. Tested on SM8750 platform with MCQ enabled, both with and without Platform ESI support.

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:>= 6.16, < 6.16.4= 6.17

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 6.16.4 or later
Fixed in 6.16.4
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Linux kernel 6.16.4 or later, or 6.17.x with fix

  1. Identify the current running Linux kernel version using 'uname -r'
  2. Upgrade the Linux kernel to version 6.16.4 or later, or to a 6.17.x version that includes the fix commit 6300d5c5438724c0876828da2f6e2c1a661871fc
  3. Reboot the system to load the updated kernel
  4. Verify the new kernel version is running with 'uname -r'

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-2025-39674 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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