Linux Kernel up to 6.16.3/6.17-rc2 ESI Feature platform_device_msi_init_and_alloc_irqs null pointer dereference

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.16.3/6.17-rc2. It has been classified as critical. Affected by this issue is the function platform_device_msi_init_and_alloc_irqs of the component ESI Feature. This manipulation causes null pointer dereference. This vulnerability appears as CVE-2025-39674. There is no available exploit. Upgrading the affected component is recommended.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.16.3/6.17-rc2. It has been declared as critical. Affected by this vulnerability is the function platform_device_msi_init_and_alloc_irqs of the component ESI Feature. 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: scsi: ufs: ufs-qcom: Fix ESI null pointer dereference ESI/MSI is a performance optimization feature that provides dedicated interrupts per MCQ hardware queue. This is optional feature and UFS MCQ should work with and without ESI feature. Commit e46a28cea29a ("scsi: ufs: qcom: Remove the MSI descriptor abuse") brings a regression in ESI (Enhanced System Interrupt) configuration that causes a null pointer dereference when Platform MSI allocation fails. The issue occurs in when platform_device_msi_init_and_alloc_irqs() in ufs_qcom_config_esi() fails (returns -EINVAL) but the current code uses __free() macro for automatic cleanup free MSI resources that were never successfully allocated. Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at virtual address 0000000000000008 Call trace: mutex_lock+0xc/0x54 (P) platform_device_msi_free_irqs_all+0x1c/0x40 ufs_qcom_config_esi+0x1d0/0x220 [ufs_qcom] ufshcd_config_mcq+0x28/0x104 ufshcd_init+0xa3c/0xf40 ufshcd_pltfrm_init+0x504/0x7d4 ufs_qcom_probe+0x20/0x58 [ufs_qcom] Fix by restructuring the ESI configuration to try MSI allocation first, before any other resource allocation and instead use explicit cleanup instead of __free() macro to avoid cleanup of unallocated resources. Tested on SM8750 platform with MCQ enabled, both with and without Platform ESI support.

The advisory is shared at git.kernel.org. This vulnerability is known as CVE-2025-39674 since 04/16/2025. 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 261648 (Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2025-39674), which helps to determine the existence of the flaw in a target environment.

Upgrading to version 6.16.4 or 6.17-rc3 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch aaf17a35a59572c8b29372883619c3dbb0ebb50a/6300d5c5438724c0876828da2f6e2c1a661871fc 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 (261648) and CERT Bund (WID-SEC-2025-1988). Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.

Affected

• Debian Linux
• Google Cloud Platform
• Amazon Linux 2
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux
• Ubuntu Linux
• SUSE Linux
• Oracle Linux
• NetApp FAS
• NetApp AFF
• NetApp ActiveIQ Unified Manager
• SUSE openSUSE
• RESF Rocky Linux
• Open Source Linux Kernel
• Microsoft Azure
• Dell Secure Connect Gateway
• IBM QRadar SIEM
• IBM Security Verify Access
• Dell NetWorker

Productinfo

Type

• Operating System

Vendor

• Linux

Name

• Kernel

Version

• 6.16.0
• 6.16.1
• 6.16.2
• 6.16.3
• 6.17-rc1
• 6.17-rc2

License

• open-source

Website

• Vendor: https://www.kernel.org/

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

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