Linux: NULL Pointer Dereference
CVE-2026-43207 is a high-severity NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in Linux, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. The record lists versions 9d9c67976eda502edc6b3a148a1c5b6a18b69a98, 0bc43eaf021347f8d5aba87712c36b799695eec6, 9d7962d5c81d6cf3f8dbdb5c71c57600bac5772b as the first without the flaw, so updating Linux to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.14% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update Linux to 9d9c67976eda502edc6b3a148a1c5b6a18b69a98 or 0bc43eaf021347f8d5aba87712c36b799695eec6 or 9d7962d5c81d6cf3f8dbdb5c71c57600bac5772b or 12cafc15d24611bfb43c82877b1bbb7454a85d5a, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Linux Kernel to 5.10.252 or 5.15.202 or 6.1.165 or 6.6.128, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | c8eb2d7e8202fd9cb912f5d33cc34ede66dcb24a up to, but not including, 9d9c67976eda502edc6b3a148a1c5b6a18b69a98; c8eb2d7e8202fd9cb912f5d33cc34ede66dcb24a up to, but not including, 0bc43eaf021347f8d5aba87712c36b799695eec6; c8eb2d7e8202fd9cb912f5d33cc34ede66dcb24a up to, but not including, 9d7962d5c81d6cf3f8dbdb5c71c57600bac5772b; c8eb2d7e8202fd9cb912f5d33cc34ede66dcb24a up to, but not including, 12cafc15d24611bfb43c82877b1bbb7454a85d5a; c8eb2d7e8202fd9cb912f5d33cc34ede66dcb24a up to, but not including, c8737d33d4e8ffae87e5d5edac17f8a705235cc2; c8eb2d7e8202fd9cb912f5d33cc34ede66dcb24a up to, but not including, b3fc99fe5b25613dd61c57bc70b8479adff4f60d; c8eb2d7e8202fd9cb912f5d33cc34ede66dcb24a up to, but not including, 2e8f53a7382943411557e370f1a4f3946624a30e; c8eb2d7e8202fd9cb912f5d33cc34ede66dcb24a up to, but not including, 8a8a3232abac5b972058a5f2cb3e33199d2a8648; and 1 more ranges | 9d9c67976eda502edc6b3a148a1c5b6a18b69a98, 0bc43eaf021347f8d5aba87712c36b799695eec6, 9d7962d5c81d6cf3f8dbdb5c71c57600bac5772b, 12cafc15d24611bfb43c82877b1bbb7454a85d5a, c8737d33d4e8ffae87e5d5edac17f8a705235cc2, b3fc99fe5b25613dd61c57bc70b8479adff4f60d |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | 4.10 up to, but not including, 5.10.252; 5.11 up to, but not including, 5.15.202; 5.16 up to, but not including, 6.1.165; 6.2 up to, but not including, 6.6.128; 6.7 up to, but not including, 6.12.75; 6.13 up to, but not including, 6.18.16; 6.19 up to, but not including, 6.19.6 | 5.10.252, 5.15.202, 6.1.165, 6.6.128, 6.12.75, 6.18.16 |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- LowA basic user account is enough.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- HighThe component can be taken down completely.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CNA.
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: media: mtk-mdp: Fix error handling in probe function Add mtk_mdp_unregister_m2m_device() on the error handling path to prevent resource leak. Add check for the return value of vpu_get_plat_device() to prevent null pointer dereference. And vpu_get_plat_device() increases the reference count of the returned platform device. Add platform_device_put() to prevent reference leak.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: NULL Pointer Dereference
The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- For any pointers that could have been modified or provided from a function that can return NULL, check the pointer for NULL before use. When working with a multithreaded or otherwise asynchronous environment, ensure that proper locking APIs are used to lock before the check, and unlock when it has finished.
- Select a programming language that is not susceptible to these issues.
- Check the results of all functions that return a value and verify that the value is non-null before acting upon it.
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Patches and release notes
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/0bc43eaf021347f8d5aba87712c36b799695eec6
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/12cafc15d24611bfb43c82877b1bbb7454a85d5a
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/2e8f53a7382943411557e370f1a4f3946624a30e
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/8a8a3232abac5b972058a5f2cb3e33199d2a8648
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/9d7962d5c81d6cf3f8dbdb5c71c57600bac5772b
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/9d9c67976eda502edc6b3a148a1c5b6a18b69a98
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/b3fc99fe5b25613dd61c57bc70b8479adff4f60d
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/c8737d33d4e8ffae87e5d5edac17f8a705235cc2
Recent NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerabilities
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 9.1 Critical severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
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