Linux Kernel up to 4725344ca645a98a9d8e45e25b01a2244de5b8aa xhci prepare_transfer null pointer dereference

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability has been found in Linux Kernel up to 6.6.88/6.12.25/6.14.4/6.15-rc3/4725344ca645a98a9d8e45e25b01a2244de5b8aa and classified as critical. This vulnerability affects the function prepare_transfer of the component xhci. The manipulation leads to null pointer dereference. This vulnerability is listed as CVE-2025-37813. There is no available exploit. The affected component should be upgraded.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.6.88/6.12.25/6.14.4/6.15-rc3/4725344ca645a98a9d8e45e25b01a2244de5b8aa and classified as critical. This issue affects the function prepare_transfer of the component xhci. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a null pointer dereference vulnerability. Using CWE to declare the problem leads to 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. Impacted is availability. The summary by CVE is:

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: usb: xhci: Fix invalid pointer dereference in Etron workaround This check is performed before prepare_transfer() and prepare_ring(), so enqueue can already point at the final link TRB of a segment. And indeed it will, some 0.4% of times this code is called. Then enqueue + 1 is an invalid pointer. It will crash the kernel right away or load some junk which may look like a link TRB and cause the real link TRB to be replaced with a NOOP. This wouldn't end well. Use a functionally equivalent test which doesn't dereference the pointer and always gives correct result. Something has crashed my machine twice in recent days while playing with an Etron HC, and a control transfer stress test ran for confirmation has just crashed it again. The same test passes with this patch applied.

It is possible to read the advisory at git.kernel.org. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-2025-37813 since 04/16/2025. Technical details of the vulnerability are known, but there is no available exploit.

The vulnerability scanner Nessus provides a plugin with the ID 240657 (Ubuntu 25.04 : Linux kernel vulnerabilities (USN-7594-1)), which helps to determine the existence of the flaw in a target environment.

Upgrading to version 6.6.89, 6.12.26, 6.14.5 or 6.15-rc4 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch 142273a49f2c315eabdbdf5a71c15e479b75ca91/bce3055b08e303e28a8751f6073066f5c33a0744/0624e29c595b05e7a0e6d1c368f0a05799928e30/1ea050da5562af9b930d17cbbe9632d30f5df43a 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 (240657) and CERT Bund (WID-SEC-2025-0975). Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.

Affected

• Debian Linux
• Amazon Linux 2
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux
• Ubuntu Linux
• SUSE Linux
• Oracle Linux
• SUSE openSUSE
• RESF Rocky Linux
• Dell Avamar
• Open Source Linux Kernel
• Dell NetWorker
• Dell Secure Connect Gateway

Productinfo

Type

• Operating System

Vendor

• Linux

Name

• Kernel

Version

• 6.6.0
• 6.6.1
• 6.6.2
• 6.6.3
• 6.6.4
• 6.6.5
• 6.6.6
• 6.6.7
• 6.6.8
• 6.6.9
• 6.6.10
• 6.6.11
• 6.6.12
• 6.6.13
• 6.6.14
• 6.6.15
• 6.6.16
• 6.6.17
• 6.6.18
• 6.6.19
• 6.6.20
• 6.6.21
• 6.6.22
• 6.6.23
• 6.6.24
• 6.6.25
• 6.6.26
• 6.6.27
• 6.6.28
• 6.6.29
• 6.6.30
• 6.6.31
• 6.6.32
• 6.6.33
• 6.6.34
• 6.6.35
• 6.6.36
• 6.6.37
• 6.6.38
• 6.6.39
• 6.6.40
• 6.6.41
• 6.6.42
• 6.6.43
• 6.6.44
• 6.6.45
• 6.6.46
• 6.6.47
• 6.6.48
• 6.6.49
• 6.6.50
• 6.6.51
• 6.6.52
• 6.6.53
• 6.6.54
• 6.6.55
• 6.6.56
• 6.6.57
• 6.6.58
• 6.6.59
• 6.6.60
• 6.6.61
• 6.6.62
• 6.6.63
• 6.6.64
• 6.6.65
• 6.6.66
• 6.6.67
• 6.6.68
• 6.6.69
• 6.6.70
• 6.6.71
• 6.6.72
• 6.6.73
• 6.6.74
• 6.6.75
• 6.6.76
• 6.6.77
• 6.6.78
• 6.6.79
• 6.6.80
• 6.6.81
• 6.6.82
• 6.6.83
• 6.6.84
• 6.6.85
• 6.6.86
• 6.6.87
• 6.6.88
• 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
• 6.12.13
• 6.12.14
• 6.12.15
• 6.12.16
• 6.12.17
• 6.12.18
• 6.12.19
• 6.12.20
• 6.12.21
• 6.12.22
• 6.12.23
• 6.12.24
• 6.12.25
• 6.14.0
• 6.14.1
• 6.14.2
• 6.14.3
• 6.14.4
• 6.15-rc1
• 6.15-rc2
• 6.15-rc3
• 4725344ca645a98a9d8e45e25b01a2244de5b8aa

License

• open-source

Website

• Vendor: https://www.kernel.org/

CPE 2.3info

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CPE 2.2info

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Exploitinginfo

Threat Intelligenceinfo

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Entryinfo

Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.

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