Kernel crash via unchecked PCIe AER state
Published Oct 28, 2025 · Updated Oct 28, 2025
NULL pointer dereference in Linux 6.16 through 6.17.2 allows attackers to crash the kernel via PCIe AER error reporting. The aer_ratelimit() path passes dev->aer_info ratelimit state to ___ratelimit without checking whether firmware named a device lacking AER capability, leaving that state NULL. The crash requires firmware-originated GHES error data naming such a PCIe device; no remote trigger is established.
Summary
What happened
NULL pointer dereference in Linux 6.16 through 6.17.2 allows attackers to crash the kernel via PCIe AER error reporting. The aer_ratelimit() path passes dev->aer_info ratelimit state to ___ratelimit without checking whether firmware named a device lacking AER capability, leaving that state NULL. The crash requires firmware-originated GHES error data naming such a PCIe device; no remote trigger is established.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-40034
- Published
- Oct 28, 2025
- Updated
- Oct 28, 2025
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- Unavailable
- Attack vector
- Unavailable
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Oct 28, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Oct 28, 2025Record 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.
- Affected versionversion=6.16
- Affected versionversion=a57f2bfb4a5863f83087867c0e671f2418212d23 <41683624cbff0a26bb7e0627f4a7e1b51a8779a8
- Affected versionversion=a57f2bfb4a5863f83087867c0e671f2418212d23 <deb2f228388ff3a9d0623e3b59a053e9235c341d
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
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Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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