# CVE-2025-38021: drm/amd/display: Fix null check of pipe_ctx->plane_state for update_dchubp_dpp

> A missing null check in the AMD display driver can cause a kernel crash, leading to denial of service.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 18 Jun 2025
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2025-38021, GHSA-fv54-4g3v-mw5v, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-38021

## What is CVE-2025-38021?

CVE-2025-38021 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 18 Jun 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

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

drm/amd/display: Fix null check of pipe_ctx->plane_state for update_dchubp_dpp

Similar to commit 6a057072ddd1 ("drm/amd/display: Fix null check for
pipe_ctx->plane_state in dcn20_program_pipe") that addresses a null
pointer dereference on dcn20_update_dchubp_dpp. This is the same
function hooked for update_dchubp_dpp in dcn401, with the same issue.
Fix possible null pointer deference on dcn401_program_pipe too.

(cherry picked from commit d8d47f739752227957d8efc0cb894761bfe1d879)

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38021?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-38021?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-38021 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38021 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-38021 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-38021 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 18 Jun 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38021 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. 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-2025-38021/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38021/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-38021
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-38021
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-38021

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38021/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.