# CVE-2025-68798: perf/x86/amd: Check event before enable to avoid GPF

> A race condition in the Linux kernel's AMD perf subsystem causes a null pointer dereference, leading to a system crash.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **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:** 13 Jan 2026
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-74357, BELL-CVE-2025-68798, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-68798, GHSA-v753-hw9q-p9vj, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2025-68798, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-68798, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-68798

## What is CVE-2025-68798?

CVE-2025-68798 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 13 Jan 2026. 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:

perf/x86/amd: Check event before enable to avoid GPF

On AMD machines cpuc->events[idx] can become NULL in a subtle race
condition with NMI->throttle->x86_pmu_stop().

Check event for NULL in amd_pmu_enable_all() before enable to avoid a GPF.
This appears to be an AMD only issue.

Syzkaller reported a GPF in amd_pmu_enable_all.

INFO: NMI handler (perf_event_nmi_handler) took too long to run: 13.143
    msecs
Oops: general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address
    0xdffffc0000000034: 0000  PREEMPT SMP KASAN NOPTI
KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x00000000000001a0-0x00000000000001a7]
CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 328415 Comm: repro_36674776 Not tainted 6.12.0-rc1-syzk
RIP: 0010:x86_pmu_enable_event (arch/x86/events/perf_event.h:1195
    arch/x86/events/core.c:1430)
RSP: 0018:ffff888118009d60 EFLAGS: 00010012
RAX: dffffc0000000000 RBX: 0000000000000000 RCX: 0000000000000000
RDX: 0000000000000034 RSI: 0000000000000000 RDI: 00000000000001a0
RBP: 0000000000000001 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: 0000000000000000
R10: 0000000000000000 R11: 0000000000000000 R12: 0000000000000002
R13: ffff88811802a440 R14: ffff88811802a240 R15: ffff8881132d8601
FS:  00007f097dfaa700(0000) GS:ffff888118000000(0000) GS:0000000000000000
CS:  0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033
CR2: 00000000200001c0 CR3: 0000000103d56000 CR4: 00000000000006f0
Call Trace:
 <IRQ>
amd_pmu_enable_all (arch/x86/events/amd/core.c:760 (discriminator 2))
x86_pmu_enable (arch/x86/events/core.c:1360)
event_sched_out (kernel/events/core.c:1191 kernel/events/core.c:1186
    kernel/events/core.c:2346)
__perf_remove_from_context (kernel/events/core.c:2435)
event_function (kernel/events/core.c:259)
remote_function (kernel/events/core.c:92 (discriminator 1)
    kernel/events/core.c:72 (discriminator 1))
__flush_smp_call_function_queue (./arch/x86/include/asm/jump_label.h:27
    ./include/linux/jump_label.h:207 ./include/trace/events/csd.h:64
    kernel/smp.c:135 kernel/smp.c:540)
__sysvec_call_function_single (./arch/x86/include/asm/jump_label.h:27
    ./include/linux/jump_label.h:207
    ./arch/x86/include/asm/trace/irq_vectors.h:99 arch/x86/kernel/smp.c:272)
sysvec_call_function_single (arch/x86/kernel/smp.c:266 (discriminator 47)
    arch/x86/kernel/smp.c:266 (discriminator 47))
 </IRQ>

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-68798?


## How do I fix CVE-2025-68798?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-68798 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-68798 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-68798 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-68798 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 13 Jan 2026. 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-2025-68798 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: 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-2025-68798/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-68798/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-68798
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-68798
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-68798

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-68798/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.