CVE-2025-38668 regulator: core: fix NULL dereference on unbind due to stale coupling data
A NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel regulator core can cause a system panic during device unbinding, leading to denial of service.
- 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
What is CVE-2025-38668?
CVE-2025-38668 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 22 Aug 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:
regulator: core: fix NULL dereference on unbind due to stale coupling data
Failing to reset coupling_desc.n_coupled after freeing coupled_rdevs can lead to NULL pointer dereference when regulators are accessed post-unbind.
This can happen during runtime PM or other regulator operations that rely on coupling metadata.
For example, on ridesx4, unbinding the 'reg-dummy' platform device triggers a panic in regulator_lock_recursive() due to stale coupling state.
Ensure n_coupled is set to 0 to prevent access to invalid pointers.
Weakness: CWE-476
Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38668?
It affects 2 products.
Products include Debian Debian Linux, Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2025-38668?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Is CVE-2025-38668 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38668 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Debian Debian Linux
Sources
Also known as AZL-66572, AZL-73809, BELL-CVE-2025-38668, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-38668, GHSA-jj6q-jr89-p4h6, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2025-38668 and 5 more.