Linux Kernel up to 6.12.12/6.13.1 USB Interface usb_driver_claim_interface null pointer dereference

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.12.12/6.13.1. It has been classified as critical. Affected by this issue is the function usb_driver_claim_interface of the component USB Interface. This manipulation causes null pointer dereference. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-2025-21827. There is no exploit available. Upgrading the affected component is recommended.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability has been found in Linux Kernel up to 6.12.12/6.13.1 and classified as critical. Affected by this vulnerability is the function usb_driver_claim_interface of the component USB Interface. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a null pointer dereference vulnerability. The CWE definition for the vulnerability is CWE-476. A NULL pointer dereference occurs when the application dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid, but is NULL, typically causing a crash or exit. As an impact it is known to affect availability. The summary by CVE is:

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: Bluetooth: btusb: mediatek: Add locks for usb_driver_claim_interface() The documentation for usb_driver_claim_interface() says that "the device lock" is needed when the function is called from places other than probe(). This appears to be the lock for the USB interface device. The Mediatek btusb code gets called via this path: Workqueue: hci0 hci_power_on [bluetooth] Call trace: usb_driver_claim_interface btusb_mtk_claim_iso_intf btusb_mtk_setup hci_dev_open_sync hci_power_on process_scheduled_works worker_thread kthread With the above call trace the device lock hasn't been claimed. Claim it. Without this fix, we'd sometimes see the error "Failed to claim iso interface". Sometimes we'd even see worse errors, like a NULL pointer dereference (where `intf->dev.driver` was NULL) with a trace like: Call trace: usb_suspend_both usb_runtime_suspend __rpm_callback rpm_suspend pm_runtime_work process_scheduled_works Both errors appear to be fixed with the proper locking.

The advisory is shared at git.kernel.org. This vulnerability is known as CVE-2025-21827 since 12/29/2024. The exploitation appears to be difficult. Technical details are known, but no exploit is available.

The vulnerability scanner Nessus provides a plugin with the ID 232231 (Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2025-21827), which helps to determine the existence of the flaw in a target environment.

Upgrading to version 6.12.13, 6.13.2 or 6.14-rc1 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch 930e1790b99e5839e1af69d2f7fd808f1fba2df9/4194766ec8756f4f654d595ae49962acbac49490/e9087e828827e5a5c85e124ce77503f2b81c3491 is able to eliminate this problem. The bugfix is ready for download at git.kernel.org. The best possible mitigation is suggested to be upgrading to the latest version.

The vulnerability is also documented in the databases at Tenable (232231) and CERT Bund (WID-SEC-2025-0499). Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.

Affected

• Google Container-Optimized OS
• Debian Linux
• Amazon Linux 2
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux
• Ubuntu Linux
• SUSE Linux
• Oracle Linux
• RESF Rocky Linux
• SolarWinds Security Event Manager
• Open Source Linux Kernel
• Dell Secure Connect Gateway

Productinfo

Type

• Operating System

Vendor

• Linux

Name

• Kernel

Version

• 6.12.0
• 6.12.1
• 6.12.2
• 6.12.3
• 6.12.4
• 6.12.5
• 6.12.6
• 6.12.7
• 6.12.8
• 6.12.9
• 6.12.10
• 6.12.11
• 6.12.12
• 6.13.0
• 6.13.1

License

• open-source

Website

• Vendor: https://www.kernel.org/

CPE 2.3info

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CPE 2.2info

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Entryinfo

Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.

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