CVE-2025-6966 Null-pointer dereference in python-apt TagSection.keys()

What is CVE-2025-6966?

CVE-2025-6966 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 5 Dec 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

Official description

NULL pointer dereference in TagSection.keys() in python-apt on APT-based Linux systems allows a local attacker to cause a denial of service (process crash) via a crafted deb822 file with a malformed non-UTF-8 key.

Weakness: CWE-476

Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-6966?

It affects 2 products.

Products include Debian Debian Linux, Ubuntu Python-Apt.

How do I fix CVE-2025-6966?

Apply the vendor's patch.

Is CVE-2025-6966 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-6966 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Other vulnerabilities in Debian Debian Linux

• CVE-2015-3306 ProFTPD Improper Access Control Exploited Critical 10.0
• CVE-2025-49113 RoundCube Webmail Deserialization of Untrusted Data Exploited Critical 9.9
• CVE-2026-24061 GNU InetUtils Argument Injection Exploited Critical 9.8
• CVE-2025-39682 Linux Kernel Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions Exploited Critical 9.8
• CVE-2024-9680 Mozilla Firefox Use-After-Free Exploited Critical 9.8

All Debian Debian Linux vulnerabilities

Sources

• CVE record
• NVD
• OSV
• GitHub advisory
• How this page is made

Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2025-6966, DLA-4408-1, GHSA-285f-828q-q7g5, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-6966, USN-7916-2.