CVE-2025-71138

Local kernel crash via unchecked pingpong pointer

Published Jan 14, 2026 · Updated Jan 14, 2026

NULL pointer dereference in the Linux Kernel MSM DPU writeback encoder allows local users to crash the kernel during display setup. The dpu_encoder_phys_wb_setup_ctl function dereferences the pingpong interface to reach merge_3d before verifying that the interface exists. The condition requires low-privileged local access and an MSM DPU writeback configuration with no pingpong block; the bounded consequence is a kernel crash.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.13%
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 the Linux Kernel MSM DPU writeback encoder allows local users to crash the kernel during display setup. The dpu_encoder_phys_wb_setup_ctl function dereferences the pingpong interface to reach merge_3d before verifying that the interface exists. The condition requires low-privileged local access and an MSM DPU writeback configuration with no pingpong block; the bounded consequence is a kernel crash.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-71138
Published
Jan 14, 2026
Updated
Jan 14, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux Kernel
Classifications
CWE-476, T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jan 14, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Jan 14, 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=5.19
  2. Affected versionversion=d7d0e73f7de33a2b9998b607707a3e944ef3b86d <35ea3282136a630a3fd92b76f5a3a02651145ef1
  3. Affected versionversion=d7d0e73f7de33a2b9998b607707a3e944ef3b86d <471baae774a30a04cf066907b60eaf3732928cb7
  4. Affected versionversion=d7d0e73f7de33a2b9998b607707a3e944ef3b86d <678d1c86566dfbb247ba25482d37fddde6140cc9
  5. Affected versionversion=d7d0e73f7de33a2b9998b607707a3e944ef3b86d <88733a0b64872357e5ecd82b7488121503cb9cc6

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linux Kernelversion=5.19; version=d7d0e73f7de33a2b9998b607707a3e944ef3b86d <35ea3282136a630a3fd92b76f5a3a02651145ef1; version=d7d0e73f7de33a2b9998b607707a3e944ef3b86d <471baae774a30a04cf066907b60eaf3732928cb7; version=d7d0e73f7de33a2b9998b607707a3e944ef3b86d <678d1c86566dfbb247ba25482d37fddde6140cc9; version=d7d0e73f7de33a2b9998b607707a3e944ef3b86d <88733a0b64872357e5ecd82b7488121503cb9cc6

Published CVSS scores

5.5Canonical UbuntuCVSS: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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