# CVE-2025-37820: xen-netfront: handle NULL returned by xdp_convert_buff_to_frame()

> A missing NULL check in the Linux kernel's xen-netfront driver can cause a crash or memory leak when XDP buffer conversion fails.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 8 May 2025
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-70138, BELL-CVE-2025-37820, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-37820, GHSA-5427-cfr3-v9jm, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2025-37820, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2025-37820, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2025-37820, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-37820, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-37820

## What is CVE-2025-37820?

CVE-2025-37820 is a high-severity vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 8 May 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

xen-netfront: handle NULL returned by xdp_convert_buff_to_frame()

The function xdp_convert_buff_to_frame() may return NULL if it fails
to correctly convert the XDP buffer into an XDP frame due to memory
constraints, internal errors, or invalid data. Failing to check for NULL
may lead to a NULL pointer dereference if the result is used later in
processing, potentially causing crashes, data corruption, or undefined
behavior.

On XDP redirect failure, the associated page must be released explicitly
if it was previously retained via get_page(). Failing to do so may result
in a memory leak, as the pages reference count is not decremented.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-37820?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Debian Debian Linux, Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-37820?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-37820 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-37820 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Debian Debian Linux

- [CVE-2015-3306](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-3306/): ProFTPD Improper Access Control (critical 10.0, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-49113](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-49113/): RoundCube Webmail Deserialization of Untrusted Data (critical 9.9, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-24061](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-24061/): GNU InetUtils Argument Injection (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-39682](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-39682/): Linux Kernel Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-9680](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-9680/): Mozilla Firefox Use-After-Free (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-37820 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-37820 is a high-severity vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 8 May 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-37820 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Debian Debian Linux. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-37820/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-37820/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-37820
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-37820
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-37820

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-37820/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.