Memory Management Flaw in Linux Kernel Affects Multiple Device Drivers

CVE-2025-40144

What is CVE-2025-40144?

A memory management vulnerability was identified in the Linux kernel's ndtest_probe function. When the function attempts to allocate memory for three DMA address arrays, it does so with a high risk of running out of memory. If the memory allocation fails, it can lead to a NULL pointer dereference when the function subsequently accesses these arrays. This flaw highlights the importance of error handling in memory allocation, where properly checking the success of memory requests can prevent critical failures in device driver operations under low-memory conditions.

References