PM / devfreq: Check governor before using governor->name
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 2 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-476.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: PM / devfreq: Check governor before using governor->name Commit 96ffcdf239de ("PM / devfreq: Remove redundant governor_name from struct devfreq") removes governor_name and uses governor->name to replace it. But devfreq->governor may be NULL and directly using devfreq->governor->name may cause null pointer exception. Move the check of governor to before using governor->name.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 5.11 and later | 5.15.190, 6.1.148, 6.6.102, 6.12.42, 6.15.10, 6.16.1, 6.17 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 5.11 and later Fixed in 5.15.190, 6.1.148, 6.6.102, 6.12.42, 6.15.10, 6.16.1, 6.17 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 2
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.15.190, 6.1.148, 6.6.102, 6.12.42, 6.15.10, 6.16.1, 6.17
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Not affected: 3 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2025-38609
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-jf88-w289-cr26
- 2026-11-05 CISA SSVC decision points changed
References
Patch 7
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f0479e878d4beb45e73c03e574c59f0a23ccd176
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/631e101728df2a86b8fb761b49fad9712c651f8a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/81f50619370045120c133bfdda5b320c8c97d41e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d5632359dbc44862fc1ed04093c1f57529830261
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2731c68f536fddcb71332db7f8d78c5eb4684c04
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/75323a49aa603cf5484a6d74d0d329e86d756e11
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bab7834c03820eb11269bc48f07c3800192460d2
More Linux Kernel vulnerabilities
- TI-2025-26358 tls: fix handling of zero-length records on the rx_list KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2026-38352 netfilter: bridge: make ebt_snat ARP rewrite writable KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2013-05264 The (1) get_user and (2) put_user API functions in the Linux kernel before 3.5.5 on the… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2022-00125 Integer overflow in kernel KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2013-01864 The perf_swevent_init function in kernel/events/core.c in the Linux kernel before 3.8.9… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2021-05514 Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACE KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.3
Sources
- CVE-2025-38609 · CVE Program
- CVE-2025-38609 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-jf88-w289-cr26 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2025-38609 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences