Kernel crash via unchecked refclk-pad pointer
Published May 27, 2026 · Updated May 27, 2026
NULL pointer dereference in Linux Kernel 6.11 through 6.12.74, 6.13 through 6.18.13, and 6.19 through 6.19.3 allows local users to crash systems. The probe assigns NULL to refclk_pad when fsl,refclk-pad-mode is absent, and imx_hsio_configure_clk_pad dereferences it without checking. Reachability requires the Freescale IMX8QM HSIO PHY driver and an affected device-tree node; the public record does not identify how a local user initiates probing.
Summary
What happened
NULL pointer dereference in Linux Kernel 6.11 through 6.12.74, 6.13 through 6.18.13, and 6.19 through 6.19.3 allows local users to crash systems. The probe assigns NULL to refclk_pad when fsl,refclk-pad-mode is absent, and imx_hsio_configure_clk_pad dereferences it without checking. Reachability requires the Freescale IMX8QM HSIO PHY driver and an affected device-tree node; the public record does not identify how a local user initiates probing.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-45874
- Published
- May 27, 2026
- Updated
- May 27, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux Kernel
- Classifications
- CWE-476, T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 27, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 27, 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=6.11
- Affected versionversion=82c56b6dd24fcdf811f2b47b72e5585c8a79b685 <4dd5d4c0361af0a3fd24f45c815996abf4429770
- Affected versionversion=82c56b6dd24fcdf811f2b47b72e5585c8a79b685 <8d29e81e9cdec84d4b9acb1736550d35e86c88af
- Affected versionversion=82c56b6dd24fcdf811f2b47b72e5585c8a79b685 <a771b386cb6c6e582e7b50f8eeff3347ff887f71
- Affected versionversion=82c56b6dd24fcdf811f2b47b72e5585c8a79b685 <dd8b9ba3d9701832cfb5dcefd8b43250df28dbc2
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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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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