Kernel crash via incorrect LED supplier link
Published Jan 5, 2026 · Updated Jan 5, 2026
NULL-pointer dereference in Linux Kernel 5.6 and later allows local users with administrative privileges to crash the kernel during LED device removal. The LED-backlight driver links its consumer to the supplier class device's parent instead of the actual LED supplier, so removal ordering permits led_put to access a released device. Triggering the crash requires administrative removal of the supplier before its backlight consumer, through overlay removal or driver unbinding.
Summary
What happened
NULL-pointer dereference in Linux Kernel 5.6 and later allows local users with administrative privileges to crash the kernel during LED device removal. The LED-backlight driver links its consumer to the supplier class device's parent instead of the actual LED supplier, so removal ordering permits led_put to access a released device. Triggering the crash requires administrative removal of the supplier before its backlight consumer, through overlay removal or driver unbinding.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-68758
- Published
- Jan 5, 2026
- Updated
- Jan 5, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux Kernel
- Classifications
- T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- admin
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jan 5, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jan 5, 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.
- Affected versionversion=5.6
- Affected versionversion=ae232e45acf9621f2c96b41ca3af006ac7552c33 <08c9dc6b0f2c68e5e7c374ac4499e321e435d46c
- Affected versionversion=ae232e45acf9621f2c96b41ca3af006ac7552c33 <0e63ea4378489e09eb5e920c8a50c10caacf563a
- Affected versionversion=ae232e45acf9621f2c96b41ca3af006ac7552c33 <60a24070392ec726ccfe6ad1ca7b0381c8d8f7c9
- Affected versionversion=ae232e45acf9621f2c96b41ca3af006ac7552c33 <9341d6698f4cfdfc374fb6944158d111ebe16a9d
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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