Medium

NULL Pointer Dereference in Linux Kernel ASoC SOF stream IPC

IdentifiersCVE-2025-21847CWE-476· NULL Pointer Dereference

CVE-2025-21847 is a NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the Linux kernel ASoC Sound Open Firmware (SOF) stream IPC component. The sof_ipc_msg_data() function failed to validate that the sps->cstream member was non-NULL. Its assumption that this member would be valid based on the state of sps->stream was incorrect. Processing a stream state in which sps->cstream is NULL can therefore dereference a NULL pointer. The correction adds a cstream nullity check analogous to the validation used by sof_set_stream_data_offset().

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

Successful triggering causes a NULL pointer dereference in kernel context. The documented impact is a kernel crash or denial of service; code execution, privilege escalation, and information disclosure are not established by the available information.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

No vulnerability-specific workaround is documented. Until an updated kernel can be deployed, reduce exposure to untrusted users and untrusted inputs capable of reaching the ASoC SOF stream IPC path, where operationally feasible.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Install a vendor-supported Linux kernel update that includes the CVE-2025-21847 fix, then reboot to run the updated kernel. Red Hat remediated the issue in updates covered by RHSA-2025:20095 for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 and RHSA-2025:20518 for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9. SUSE also issued kernel updates covering this CVE for affected products.

PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

No public exploits tracked yet. Mallory keeps watching.

VALID 0 / 0 TOTALView more in app

No public exploit code observed for this vulnerability.

EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.

VendorProductType

LinuxLinux Kerneloperating_system

Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.

ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

2 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.

2 SOURCESView more in app

redhat accessNews

Jan 1, 2026

RHSA-2025:20095 - Security Advisory - Red Hat Customer Portal

Linux kernel SOF stream IPC NULL-pointer flaw.

bugzilla redhatNews

Nov 11, 2025

2351616 - (CVE-2025-21847) CVE-2025-21847 kernel: ASoC: SOF: stream-ipc: Check for cstream nullity in sof_ipc_msg_data()

A Linux kernel ASoC Sound Open Firmware (SOF) stream IPC flaw in sof_ipc_msg_data() caused by failing to validate sps->cstream, which could result in a NULL-pointer dereference.

What this page doesn’t show

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Exposure mapping

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Threat actor evidence

Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.

Associated malware

Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.

Detection signatures

YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.

Vendor-by-vendor mapping

Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.

Social activity