CVE-2025-38589

System crash via NULL device dereference

Published Aug 19, 2025 · Updated May 11, 2026

NULL pointer dereference in Linux kernel 6.13 through 6.16 allows local users to crash the system during IPv6 initialization. neigh_table_clear passes a NULL device to neigh_ifdown, while the converted neigh_flush_dev path assumes a device exists and dereferences its per-device neighbour list. Exploitation requires low local privileges and an IPv6 initialization failure, a path the kernel team describes as unlikely because IPv6 is no longer unloadable.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.16%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

NULL pointer dereference in Linux kernel 6.13 through 6.16 allows local users to crash the system during IPv6 initialization. neigh_table_clear passes a NULL device to neigh_ifdown, while the converted neigh_flush_dev path assumes a device exists and dereferences its per-device neighbour list. Exploitation requires low local privileges and an IPv6 initialization failure, a path the kernel team describes as unlikely because IPv6 is no longer unloadable.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-38589
Published
Aug 19, 2025
Updated
May 11, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-476, T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 19, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. May 11, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=6.13
  2. Affected versionversion=f7f52738637f4361c108cad36e23ee98959a9006 <1bbb76a899486827394530916f01214d049931b3
  3. Affected versionversion=f7f52738637f4361c108cad36e23ee98959a9006 <47fbd7f8df19bdfbe334ee83f35568c9a29221ae
  4. Affected versionversion=f7f52738637f4361c108cad36e23ee98959a9006 <d9c4328795697ebc392a63fece3901999c09cddd

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=6.13; version=f7f52738637f4361c108cad36e23ee98959a9006 <1bbb76a899486827394530916f01214d049931b3; version=f7f52738637f4361c108cad36e23ee98959a9006 <47fbd7f8df19bdfbe334ee83f35568c9a29221ae; version=f7f52738637f4361c108cad36e23ee98959a9006 <d9c4328795697ebc392a63fece3901999c09cddd

Published CVSS scores

5.5UbuntuCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
5.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-476NULL Pointer Dereference
T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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