Null Pointer Dereference Vulnerability in Linux Kernel vsock

CVE-2025-21666

Summary

A vulnerability has been identified in the Linux kernel related to the vsock implementation, where certain functions can be invoked on de-assigned vsock sockets. This might lead to null pointer dereference issues when checking for data availability. The recent changes ensure that instead of dereferencing a null pointer, the system now returns zero while logging a warning for debugging purposes. This design aims to preserve the operational integrity of the kernel while addressing potential future instances of similar vulnerabilities.

References