CVE-2025-22066 – This CVE describes a NULL pointer dereference v... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2025-22066?

CVE-2025-22066 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). This CVE describes a NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the Linux kernel's ASoC imx-card driver. When devm_kasprintf() fails to allocate memory and returns NULL, the imx_card_probe() function doesn't check for this condition, leading to a kernel crash. This affects systems using the affected Linux kernel versions with the imx-card driver loaded.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes a NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the Linux kernel's ASoC imx-card driver. When devm_kasprintf() fails to allocate memory and returns NULL, the imx_card_probe() function doesn't check for this condition, leading to a kernel crash. This affects systems using the affected Linux kernel versions with the imx-card driver loaded.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel

Versions: Specific kernel versions containing the vulnerable imx-card driver code prior to the fix commits

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ✅ No

Notes: Only vulnerable when the imx-card ASoC driver is loaded and used (typically on i.MX platform systems). Most general-purpose Linux systems won't have this driver loaded by default.

📦 What is this software?

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Kernel panic leading to system crash and denial of service, potentially causing data loss or service disruption.

🟠

Likely Case

System crash or kernel panic when memory allocation fails under specific conditions, resulting in denial of service.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minor service interruption if system automatically reboots, but no privilege escalation or data compromise.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires local access or specific driver loading conditions, not directly exploitable over network.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Local users or processes could potentially trigger the condition, causing system instability.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: NO

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires triggering memory allocation failure in devm_kasprintf() while the imx-card driver is active, which is non-trivial and requires specific conditions.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Kernel versions containing the fix commits referenced in the CVE

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/018e6cf2503e60087747b0ebc190e18b3640766f

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update to a patched Linux kernel version containing the fix commits. 2. Reboot the system to load the new kernel. 3. Verify the imx-card driver is functioning correctly.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable imx-card driver

linux

Prevent loading of the vulnerable imx-card ASoC driver if not needed

echo 'blacklist snd-soc-imx-card' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
rmmod snd_soc_imx_card

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Ensure system has adequate memory to minimize allocation failures
Monitor system logs for kernel panic events and have recovery procedures ready

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check if the imx-card driver is loaded: 'lsmod | grep imx_card' and check kernel version against affected versions

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version includes the fix commits or check that NULL pointer check exists in imx_card_probe() function

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel panic messages
NULL pointer dereference errors in kernel logs
System crash/reboot events

Network Indicators:

None - this is a local kernel vulnerability

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("NULL pointer" OR "kernel panic" OR "imx-card")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2025-22066

CVSS v3 Score: 5.5 (MEDIUM)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CWE: CWE-476

EPSS Score: 0.15% exploit probability (35.8th percentile)

Published: April 16, 2025

Last Updated: November 3, 2025

🔗 References

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