Linux Kernel up to 6.6.92/6.12.30/6.14.8 btrfs_search_slot null pointer dereference

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability labeled as critical has been found in Linux Kernel up to 6.6.92/6.12.30/6.14.8. The affected element is the function btrfs_search_slot. Executing a manipulation can lead to null pointer dereference. This vulnerability appears as CVE-2025-38059. There is no available exploit. The affected component should be upgraded.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability classified as critical was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.6.92/6.12.30/6.14.8. This vulnerability affects the function btrfs_search_slot. 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. CVE summarizes:

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: btrfs: avoid NULL pointer dereference if no valid csum tree [BUG] When trying read-only scrub on a btrfs with rescue=idatacsums mount option, it will crash with the following call trace: BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000208 #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode #PF: error_code(0x0000) - not-present page CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 835 Comm: btrfs Tainted: G O 6.15.0-rc3-custom+ #236 PREEMPT(full) Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS unknown 02/02/2022 RIP: 0010:btrfs_lookup_csums_bitmap+0x49/0x480 [btrfs] Call Trace: <TASK> scrub_find_fill_first_stripe+0x35b/0x3d0 [btrfs] scrub_simple_mirror+0x175/0x290 [btrfs] scrub_stripe+0x5f7/0x6f0 [btrfs] scrub_chunk+0x9a/0x150 [btrfs] scrub_enumerate_chunks+0x333/0x660 [btrfs] btrfs_scrub_dev+0x23e/0x600 [btrfs] btrfs_ioctl+0x1dcf/0x2f80 [btrfs] __x64_sys_ioctl+0x97/0xc0 do_syscall_64+0x4f/0x120 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e [CAUSE] Mount option "rescue=idatacsums" will completely skip loading the csum tree, so that any data read will not find any data csum thus we will ignore data checksum verification. Normally call sites utilizing csum tree will check the fs state flag NO_DATA_CSUMS bit, but unfortunately scrub does not check that bit at all. This results in scrub to call btrfs_search_slot() on a NULL pointer and triggered above crash. [FIX] Check both extent and csum tree root before doing any tree search.

The advisory is shared for download at git.kernel.org. This vulnerability was named CVE-2025-38059 since 04/16/2025. The exploitation appears to be difficult. There are known technical details, but no exploit is available.

The vulnerability scanner Nessus provides a plugin with the ID 242347 (Oracle Linux 9 : Unbreakable Enterprise kernel (ELSA-2025-20480)), which helps to determine the existence of the flaw in a target environment.

Upgrading to version 6.6.93, 6.12.31 or 6.14.9 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch 50d0de59f66cbe6d597481e099bf1c70fd07e0a9/6e9770de024964b1017f99ee94f71967bd6edaeb/d35bed14b0bc95c6845863a3744ecd10b888c830/f95d186255b319c48a365d47b69bd997fecb674e 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 (242347), EUVD (EUVD-2025-18594) and CERT Bund (WID-SEC-2025-1350). Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.

Affected

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

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
• 6.6.89
• 6.6.90
• 6.6.91
• 6.6.92
• 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
• 6.12.26
• 6.12.27
• 6.12.28
• 6.12.29
• 6.12.30
• 6.14.0
• 6.14.1
• 6.14.2
• 6.14.3
• 6.14.4
• 6.14.5
• 6.14.6
• 6.14.7
• 6.14.8

License

• open-source

Website

• Vendor: https://www.kernel.org/

CPE 2.3info

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CPE 2.2info

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CVSSv4info

CVSSv3info

CVSSv2info

Exploitinginfo

Threat Intelligenceinfo

Countermeasuresinfo

Timelineinfo

Sourcesinfo

Entryinfo

Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.

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