CVE-2025-38489: linux kernel Null Dereference — Fix

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: s390/bpf: Fix bpf_arch_text_poke() with new_addr == NULL again Commit 7ded842b356d ("s390/bpf: Fix bpf_plt pointer arithmetic") has accidentally removed the critical piece of commit c730fce7c70c ("s390/bpf: Fix bpf_arch_text_poke() with new_addr == NULL"), causing intermittent kernel panics in e.g. perf's on_switch() prog to reappear. Restore the fix and add a comment.

Is your site exposed to CVE-2025-38489?

Run a free security scan — no signup, results in seconds.

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	6.6.26 — 6.6.100
linux	linux_kernel	6.8.5 — 6.9
linux	linux_kernel	6.9.1 — 6.12.40
linux	linux_kernel	6.13 — 6.15.8
linux	linux_kernel	All
linux	linux_kernel	All
linux	linux_kernel	All
linux	linux_kernel	All
linux	linux_kernel	All
linux	linux_kernel	All
linux	linux_kernel	All
linux	linux_kernel	All
linux	linux_kernel	All
linux	linux_kernel	All
linux	linux_kernel	All
linux	linux_kernel	All
linux	linux_kernel	All

References

Advisories & Patches

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0c7b20f7785cfdd59403333612c90b458b12307c https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6a5abf8cf182f577c7ae6c62f14debc9754ec986 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a4f9c7846b1ac428921ce9676b1b8c80ed60093c https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d5629d1af0600f8cc7c9245e8d832a66358ef889

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-38489? +

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: s390/bpf: Fix bpf_arch_text_poke() with new_addr == NULL again Commit 7ded842b356d ("s390/bpf: Fix bpf_plt pointer arithmetic") has accidentally removed the critical piece of commit c730fce7c70c ("s390/bpf: Fix bpf_arch_text_poke() with new_addr == NULL"), causing intermittent kernel panics in e.g. perf's on_switch() prog to reappear. Restore the fix and add a comment. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2025-38489? +

CVE-2025-38489 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-2025-38489? +

CVE-2025-38489 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-2025-38489? +

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.

Related Vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-8479

IEC 60870-5-104 used in bidirectional mode in RTU500 is vulnerable for a NULL pointer dereferencing, if a specially crafted sequence …

CVE-2025-24031

PAM-PKCS#11 is a Linux-PAM login module that allows a X.509 certificate based user login. In versions 0.6.12 and prior, the …

CVE-2025-31115

XZ Utils provide a general-purpose data-compression library plus command-line tools. In XZ Utils 5.3.3alpha to 5.8.0, the multithreaded .xz decoder …

CVE-2025-0121

A null pointer dereference vulnerability in the Palo Alto Networks Cortex® XDR agent on Windows devices allows a low-privileged local …

CVE-2023-45925

GNU Midnight Commander 4.8.29-146-g299d9a2fb was discovered to contain a NULL pointer dereference via the function x_error_handler() at tty/x11conn.c. NOTE: this …

CVE-2025-6398

A null pointer dereference vulnerability exists in the IOMap64.sys driver of ASUS AI Suite 3. The vulnerability can be triggered …

CVE-2025-38489