Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: of_numa: fix uninitialized...
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
of_numa: fix uninitialized memory nodes causing kernel panic
When there are memory-only nodes (nodes without CPUs), these nodes are not
properly initialized, causing kernel panic during boot.
of_numa_init
of_numa_parse_cpu_nodes
node_set(nid, numa_nodes_parsed);
of_numa_parse_memory_nodes
In of_numa_parse_cpu_nodes, numa_nodes_parsed gets updated only for nodes
containing CPUs. Memory-only nodes should have been updated in
of_numa_parse_memory_nodes, but they weren't.
Subsequently, when free_area_init() attempts to access NODE_DATA() for
these uninitialized memory nodes, the kernel panics due to NULL pointer
dereference.
This can be reproduced on ARM64 QEMU with 1 CPU and 2 memory nodes:
qemu-system-aarch64
-cpu host -nographic
-m 4G -smp 1
-machine virt,accel=kvm,gic-version=3,iommu=smmuv3
-object memory-backend-ram,size=2G,id=mem0
-object memory-backend-ram,size=2G,id=mem1
-numa node,nodeid=0,memdev=mem0
-numa node,nodeid=1,memdev=mem1
-kernel $IMAGE
-hda $DISK
-append "console=ttyAMA0 root=/dev/vda rw earlycon"
[ 0.000000] Booting Linux on physical CPU 0x0000000000 [0x481fd010]
[ 0.000000] Linux version 6.17.0-rc1-00001-gabb4b3daf18c-dirty (yintirui@local) (gcc (GCC) 12.3.1, GNU ld (GNU Binutils) 2.41) #52 SMP PREEMPT Mon Aug 18 09:49:40 CST 2025
[ 0.000000] KASLR enabled
[ 0.000000] random: crng init done
[ 0.000000] Machine model: linux,dummy-virt
[ 0.000000] efi: UEFI not found.
[ 0.000000] earlycon: pl11 at MMIO 0x0000000009000000 (options '')
[ 0.000000] printk: legacy bootconsole [pl11] enabled
[ 0.000000] OF: reserved mem: Reserved memory: No reserved-memory node in the DT
[ 0.000000] NODE_DATA(0) allocated [mem 0xbfffd9c0-0xbfffffff]
[ 0.000000] node 1 must be removed before remove section 23
[ 0.000000] Zone ranges:
[ 0.000000] DMA [mem 0x0000000040000000-0x00000000ffffffff]
[ 0.000000] DMA32 empty
[ 0.000000] Normal [mem 0x0000000100000000-0x000000013fffffff]
[ 0.000000] Movable zone start for each node
[ 0.000000] Early memory node ranges
[ 0.000000] node 0: [mem 0x0000000040000000-0x00000000bfffffff]
[ 0.000000] node 1: [mem 0x00000000c0000000-0x000000013fffffff]
[ 0.000000] Initmem setup node 0 [mem 0x0000000040000000-0x00000000bfffffff]
[ 0.000000] Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at virtual address 00000000000000a0
[ 0.000000] Mem abort info:
[ 0.000000] ESR = 0x0000000096000004
[ 0.000000] EC = 0x25: DABT (current EL), IL = 32 bits
[ 0.000000] SET = 0, FnV = 0
[ 0.000000] EA = 0, S1PTW = 0
[ 0.000000] FSC = 0x04: level 0 translation fault
[ 0.000000] Data abort info:
[ 0.000000] ISV = 0, ISS = 0x00000004, ISS2 = 0x00000000
[ 0.000000] CM = 0, WnR = 0, TnD = 0, TagAccess = 0
[ 0.000000] GCS = 0, Overlay = 0, DirtyBit = 0, Xs = 0
[ 0.000000] [00000000000000a0] user address but active_mm is swapper
[ 0.000000] Internal error: Oops: 0000000096000004 [#1] SMP
[ 0.000000] Modules linked in:
[ 0.000000] CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 0 Comm: swapper Not tainted 6.17.0-rc1-00001-g760c6dabf762-dirty #54 PREEMPT
[ 0.000000] Hardware name: linux,dummy-virt (DT)
[ 0.000000] pstate: 800000c5 (Nzcv daIF -PAN -UAO -TCO -DIT -SSBS BTYPE=--)
[ 0.000000] pc : free_area_init+0x50c/0xf9c
[ 0.000000] lr : free_area_init+0x5c0/0xf9c
[ 0.000000] sp : ffffa02ca0f33c00
[ 0.000000] x29: ffffa02ca0f33cb0 x28: 0000000000000000 x27: 0000000000000000
[ 0.000000] x26: 4ec4ec4ec4ec4ec5 x25: 00000000000c0000 x24: 00000000000c0000
[ 0.000000] x23: 0000000000040000 x22: 0000000000000000 x21: ffffa02ca0f3b368
[ 0.000000] x20: ffffa02ca14c7b98 x19: 0000000000000000 x18: 0000000000000002
[ 0.000000] x17: 000000000000cacc x16: 0000000000000001 x15: 0000000000000001
[ 0.000000] x14: 0000000080000000 x13: 0000000000000018 x12: 0000000000000002
[ 0.0
---truncated---
Impact
The application dereferences a null pointer, causing a crash. Typical impact: denial of service via crash.
CVE-2025-39903 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-2025-39903? CVE-2025-39903 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-2025-39903? CVE-2025-39903 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-2025-39903? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2025-39903 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2025-39903 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-39903 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-2025-39903 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.