CVE-2025-21870: linux kernel Null Dereference — Fix

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ASoC: SOF: ipc4-topology: Harden loops for looking up ALH copiers Other, non DAI copier widgets could have the same stream name (sname) as the ALH copier and in that case the copier->data is NULL, no alh_data is attached, which could lead to NULL pointer dereference. We could check for this NULL pointer in sof_ipc4_prepare_copier_module() and avoid the crash, but a similar loop in sof_ipc4_widget_setup_comp_dai() will miscalculate the ALH device count, causing broken audio. The correct fix is to harden the matching logic by making sure that the 1. widget is a DAI widget - so dai = w->private is valid 2. the dai (and thus the copier) is ALH copier

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CVSS v3.1 Score

5.5

MEDIUM

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

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-476 CWE-476

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions
linux	linux_kernel	6.0 — 6.12.17
linux	linux_kernel	6.13 — 6.13.5
linux	linux_kernel	All
linux	linux_kernel	All
linux	linux_kernel	All

References

Advisories & Patches

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6fd60136d256b3b948333ebdb3835f41a95ab7ef https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/87c8768a96092ce75cd47fe076db5080db7ac515 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/93c6c2e5801aab09ef1ef99f248f3cd323c3f152

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-21870? +

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ASoC: SOF: ipc4-topology: Harden loops for looking up ALH copiers Other, non DAI copier widgets could have the same stream name (sname) as the ALH copier and in that case the copier->data is NULL, no alh_data is attached, which could lead to NULL pointer dereference. We could check for this NULL pointer in sof_ipc4_prepare_copier_module() and avoid the crash, but a similar loop in sof_ipc4_widget_setup_comp_dai() will miscalculate the ALH device count, causing broken audio. The correct fix is to harden the matching logic by making sure that the 1. widget is a DAI widget - so dai = w->private is valid 2. the dai (and thus the copier) is ALH copier It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2025-21870? +

CVE-2025-21870 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.5 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance.

What products are affected by CVE-2025-21870? +

CVE-2025-21870 affects products from linux, specifically: linux_kernel. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2025-21870? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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