CVE-2025-68368Public exploit

Kernel crash via uninitialized md bioset

Published Dec 24, 2025 · Updated Dec 24, 2025

NULL pointer dereference in Linux kernel md 6.12 through 6.18.1 allows local users to crash the kernel via sysfs writes. mddev_init leaves io_clone_set without a bioset before md_run, so new_level_store can reach md_update_sb and dereference a NULL bio allocation path. Triggering the fault requires privileged local writes to an inactive software RAID device's md attributes and interrupts the host by crashing its kernel.

CVSS severityUnavailable
Unscored
EPSS probability0.17%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

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Summary

What happened

NULL pointer dereference in Linux kernel md 6.12 through 6.18.1 allows local users to crash the kernel via sysfs writes. mddev_init leaves io_clone_set without a bioset before md_run, so new_level_store can reach md_update_sb and dereference a NULL bio allocation path. Triggering the fault requires privileged local writes to an inactive software RAID device's md attributes and interrupts the host by crashing its kernel.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-68368
Published
Dec 24, 2025
Updated
Dec 24, 2025
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
admin

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Dec 24, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Dec 24, 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.

  1. Affected versionversion=6.12
  2. Affected versionversion=d981ed8419303ed12351eea8541ad6cb76455fe3 <381a3ce1c0ffed647c9b913e142b099c7e9d5afc
  3. Affected versionversion=d981ed8419303ed12351eea8541ad6cb76455fe3 <9d37fe37dfa0833a8768740f0575e0ffd793cb4a

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesadmin

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=6.12; version=d981ed8419303ed12351eea8541ad6cb76455fe3 <381a3ce1c0ffed647c9b913e142b099c7e9d5afc; version=d981ed8419303ed12351eea8541ad6cb76455fe3 <9d37fe37dfa0833a8768740f0575e0ffd793cb4a

Published CVSS scores

No CVSS assessment is available in this record.

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
Privilegesadmin
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

Public exploit references

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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