Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: Bluetooth: Fix null-ptr...
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
Bluetooth: Fix null-ptr-deref in l2cap_sock_resume_cb()
syzbot reported null-ptr-deref in l2cap_sock_resume_cb(). [0]
l2cap_sock_resume_cb() has a similar problem that was fixed by commit
1bff51ea59a9 ("Bluetooth: fix use-after-free error in lock_sock_nested()").
Since both l2cap_sock_kill() and l2cap_sock_resume_cb() are executed
under l2cap_sock_resume_cb(), we can avoid the issue simply by checking
if chan->data is NULL.
Let's not access to the killed socket in l2cap_sock_resume_cb().
[0]:
BUG: KASAN: null-ptr-deref in instrument_atomic_write include/linux/instrumented.h:82 [inline]
BUG: KASAN: null-ptr-deref in clear_bit include/asm-generic/bitops/instrumented-atomic.h:41 [inline]
BUG: KASAN: null-ptr-deref in l2cap_sock_resume_cb+0xb4/0x17c net/bluetooth/l2cap_sock.c:1711
Write of size 8 at addr 0000000000000570 by task kworker/u9:0/52
CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 52 Comm: kworker/u9:0 Not tainted 6.16.0-rc4-syzkaller-g7482bb149b9f #0 PREEMPT
Hardware name: Google Google Compute Engine/Google Compute Engine, BIOS Google 05/07/2025
Workqueue: hci0 hci_rx_work
Call trace:
show_stack+0x2c/0x3c arch/arm64/kernel/stacktrace.c:501 (C)
__dump_stack+0x30/0x40 lib/dump_stack.c:94
dump_stack_lvl+0xd8/0x12c lib/dump_stack.c:120
print_report+0x58/0x84 mm/kasan/report.c:524
kasan_report+0xb0/0x110 mm/kasan/report.c:634
check_region_inline mm/kasan/generic.c:-1 [inline]
kasan_check_range+0x264/0x2a4 mm/kasan/generic.c:189
__kasan_check_write+0x20/0x30 mm/kasan/shadow.c:37
instrument_atomic_write include/linux/instrumented.h:82 [inline]
clear_bit include/asm-generic/bitops/instrumented-atomic.h:41 [inline]
l2cap_sock_resume_cb+0xb4/0x17c net/bluetooth/l2cap_sock.c:1711
l2cap_security_cfm+0x524/0xea0 net/bluetooth/l2cap_core.c:7357
hci_auth_cfm include/net/bluetooth/hci_core.h:2092 [inline]
hci_auth_complete_evt+0x2e8/0xa4c net/bluetooth/hci_event.c:3514
hci_event_func net/bluetooth/hci_event.c:7511 [inline]
hci_event_packet+0x650/0xe9c net/bluetooth/hci_event.c:7565
hci_rx_work+0x320/0xb18 net/bluetooth/hci_core.c:4070
process_one_work+0x7e8/0x155c kernel/workqueue.c:3238
process_scheduled_works kernel/workqueue.c:3321 [inline]
worker_thread+0x958/0xed8 kernel/workqueue.c:3402
kthread+0x5fc/0x75c kernel/kthread.c:464
ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20 arch/arm64/kernel/entry.S:847
Impact
The application dereferences a null pointer, causing a crash. Typical impact: denial of service via crash.
CVE-2025-38473 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (Medium). The vector is requires local access, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. No fixed version is listed yet, so configuration controls and monitoring matter more in the interim.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2025-38473? CVE-2025-38473 is a medium-severity null pointer dereference vulnerability. No fixed version is listed yet. The application dereferences a null pointer, causing a crash.
- How severe is CVE-2025-38473? CVE-2025-38473 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2025-38473? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2025-38473 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2025-38473 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-38473 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2025-38473 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.