CVE-2025-38167 – A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2025-38167?

CVE-2025-38167 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the Linux kernel's NTFS3 filesystem driver could cause kernel crashes or denial of service. This affects systems using the NTFS3 driver to mount NTFS filesystems, primarily Linux systems with kernel versions containing the vulnerable code.

📋 TL;DR

A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the Linux kernel's NTFS3 filesystem driver could cause kernel crashes or denial of service. This affects systems using the NTFS3 driver to mount NTFS filesystems, primarily Linux systems with kernel versions containing the vulnerable code.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel NTFS3 driver

Versions: Linux kernel versions with vulnerable NTFS3 code (specific versions in git commits provided)

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects systems where NTFS3 driver is loaded and NTFS filesystems are mounted. Not all Linux systems use NTFS3 by default.

📦 What is this software?

Debian Linux by Debian

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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...

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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 corruption if filesystem operations are interrupted.

🟠

Likely Case

Local denial of service through kernel crash when accessing specially crafted or corrupted NTFS filesystems.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minimal impact with proper access controls limiting NTFS mounting to trusted users and filesystems.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires local filesystem access, not directly exploitable over network.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Local users or processes with NTFS mounting privileges could trigger crashes.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Requires ability to mount NTFS filesystems or access to specially crafted filesystems. No public exploit code identified.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Patches available in git commits: 2d5879f64554, 4ecd0cde89fe, 5390b3d4c6d4, 701340a25b1a, 83cd0aa74793

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

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to version containing fixes. 2. Reboot system. 3. Verify NTFS3 driver version is patched.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable NTFS3 module

linux

Prevent loading of vulnerable NTFS3 driver

echo 'blacklist ntfs3' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-ntfs3.conf
rmmod ntfs3

Use alternative NTFS driver

linux

Use NTFS-3G userspace driver instead of kernel NTFS3

apt-get install ntfs-3g
yum install ntfs-3g

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Restrict NTFS mounting to trusted users only using filesystem permissions
Monitor for kernel panic logs and investigate NTFS-related crashes

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check if NTFS3 module is loaded: lsmod | grep ntfs3. Check kernel version against patched versions.

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version includes fix commits. Test mounting NTFS filesystems for stability.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel panic messages
NULL pointer dereference errors in dmesg
NTFS3 driver crash logs

Network Indicators:

None - local vulnerability only

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("NULL pointer dereference" OR "kernel panic") AND "ntfs3"

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2025-38167

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: 0.03% exploit probability (7th percentile)

Published: July 3, 2025

Last Updated: December 18, 2025

🔗 References

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