CVE-2025-39903

Boot panic via uninitialized memory-only NUMA nodes

Published Oct 1, 2025 · Updated May 11, 2026

NULL pointer dereference in Linux kernel of_numa initialization allows local users to cause a boot-time panic on ARM64 NUMA systems. of_numa_parse_memory_nodes fails to mark memory-only nodes in numa_nodes_parsed, so free_area_init dereferences a NULL NODE_DATA pointer. The crash requires an ARM64 NUMA configuration with at least one node containing memory but no CPU, and it interrupts boot rather than exposing or modifying data.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.14%
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 of_numa initialization allows local users to cause a boot-time panic on ARM64 NUMA systems. of_numa_parse_memory_nodes fails to mark memory-only nodes in numa_nodes_parsed, so free_area_init dereferences a NULL NODE_DATA pointer. The crash requires an ARM64 NUMA configuration with at least one node containing memory but no CPU, and it interrupts boot rather than exposing or modifying data.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-39903
Published
Oct 1, 2025
Updated
May 11, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-476
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Oct 1, 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=6.12
  2. Affected versionversion=767507654c22578ea0b51d181211b2e7714ea7cd <c2daa6eb4740720b5bd0e06267d7c93a3eed844e
  3. Affected versionversion=767507654c22578ea0b51d181211b2e7714ea7cd <ee4d098cbc9160f573b5c1b5a51d6158efdb2896
  4. Affected versionversion=767507654c22578ea0b51d181211b2e7714ea7cd <f3286ad8eeae15fd4bd5c12f9adfe888b26baf62

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=6.12; version=767507654c22578ea0b51d181211b2e7714ea7cd <c2daa6eb4740720b5bd0e06267d7c93a3eed844e; version=767507654c22578ea0b51d181211b2e7714ea7cd <ee4d098cbc9160f573b5c1b5a51d6158efdb2896; version=767507654c22578ea0b51d181211b2e7714ea7cd <f3286ad8eeae15fd4bd5c12f9adfe888b26baf62

Published CVSS scores

5.5CISA ADPCVSS: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

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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