Linux: NULL Pointer Dereference
CVE-2026-43213 is a high-severity NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in Linux, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 out of 10. It can be exploited from the same local network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. The record lists versions 973392ea942a8a2981724c2c230972c8eb3cb703, c0da84e308a0b0b51cd234168a9d84be4a3c5c50, 0fe36044267c3c70d0471d2109c34f805c975154 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 0.28% 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 973392ea942a8a2981724c2c230972c8eb3cb703 or c0da84e308a0b0b51cd234168a9d84be4a3c5c50 or 0fe36044267c3c70d0471d2109c34f805c975154 or ef7fa19809b2d892d45da53f90ac698d13c367fd, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Linux Kernel to 6.18.16 or 6.19.6, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | e3ec7017f6a20d12ddd9fe23d345ebb7b8c104dd up to, but not including, 973392ea942a8a2981724c2c230972c8eb3cb703; e3ec7017f6a20d12ddd9fe23d345ebb7b8c104dd up to, but not including, c0da84e308a0b0b51cd234168a9d84be4a3c5c50; e3ec7017f6a20d12ddd9fe23d345ebb7b8c104dd up to, but not including, 0fe36044267c3c70d0471d2109c34f805c975154; e3ec7017f6a20d12ddd9fe23d345ebb7b8c104dd up to, but not including, ef7fa19809b2d892d45da53f90ac698d13c367fd; e3ec7017f6a20d12ddd9fe23d345ebb7b8c104dd up to, but not including, b342dd13aedccb0dd27365f6cc63a262f42394ce; e3ec7017f6a20d12ddd9fe23d345ebb7b8c104dd up to, but not including, 957eda596c7665f2966970fd1dcc35fe299b38e8; 5.16 | 973392ea942a8a2981724c2c230972c8eb3cb703, c0da84e308a0b0b51cd234168a9d84be4a3c5c50, 0fe36044267c3c70d0471d2109c34f805c975154, ef7fa19809b2d892d45da53f90ac698d13c367fd, b342dd13aedccb0dd27365f6cc63a262f42394ce, 957eda596c7665f2966970fd1dcc35fe299b38e8 |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | 5.16 up to, but not including, 6.18.16; 6.19 up to, but not including, 6.19.6 | 6.18.16, 6.19.6 |
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
- AdjacentThe attacker must be on the same local network segment.
- Attack complexity
- HighSuccess depends on conditions outside the attacker's control.
- Privileges required
- NoneNo account or login is needed.
- 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:A/AC:H/PR:N/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: wifi: rtw89: pci: validate sequence number of TX release report Hardware rarely reports abnormal sequence number in TX release report, which will access out-of-bounds of wd_ring->pages array, causing NULL pointer dereference. BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000 #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode #PF: error_code(0x0000) - not-present page PGD 0 P4D 0 Oops: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP NOPTI CPU: 1 PID: 1085 Comm: irq/129-rtw89_p Tainted: G S U 6.1.145-17510-g2f3369c91536 #1 (HASH:69e8 1) Call Trace: <IRQ> rtw89_pci_release_tx+0x18f/0x300 [rtw89_pci (HASH:4c83 2)] rtw89_pci_napi_poll+0xc2/0x190 [rtw89_pci (HASH:4c83 2)] net_rx_action+0xfc/0x460 net/core/dev.c:6578 net/core/dev.c:6645 net/core/dev.c:6759 handle_softirqs+0xbe/0x290 kernel/softirq.c:601 ? rtw89_pci_interrupt_threadfn+0xc5/0x350 [rtw89_pci (HASH:4c83 2)] __local_bh_enable_ip+0xeb/0x120 kernel/softirq.c:499 kernel/softirq.c:423 </IRQ> <TASK> rtw89_pci_interrupt_threadfn+0xf8/0x350 [rtw89_pci (HASH:4c83 2)] ? irq_thread+0xa7/0x340 kernel/irq/manage.c:0 irq_thread+0x177/0x340 kernel/irq/manage.c:1205 kernel/irq/manage.c:1314 ? thaw_kernel_threads+0xb0/0xb0 kernel/irq/manage.c:1202 ? irq_forced_thread_fn+0x80/0x80 kernel/irq/manage.c:1220 kthread+0xea/0x110 kernel/kthread.c:376 ? synchronize_irq+0x1a0/0x1a0 kernel/irq/manage.c:1287 ? kthread_associate_blkcg+0x80/0x80 kernel/kthread.c:331 ret_from_fork+0x1f/0x30 arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:295 </TASK> To prevent crash, validate rpp_info.seq before using.
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.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Patches and release notes
Other references
Recent NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerabilities
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 9.1 Critical severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
Spotted an error? Tell us.