CVE-2025-38059

btrfs: avoid NULL pointer dereference if no valid csum tree

MEDIUM
5.5
CVSS Score
Published: June 18, 2025 at 09:33 AM UTC
Updated: October 30, 2026 at 01:18 PM UTC
1 product affected across 1 vendorLinux Kernel

Using Linux by Linux?

Get instant alerts when new vulnerabilities affect Linux - before attackers find them.

Real-time alertsTrack your software stackFree plan available
Severity
MEDIUM5.5
Exploit prediction
EPSS 0.2%

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: btrfs: avoid NULL pointer dereference if no valid csum tree [BUG] When trying read-only scrub on a btrfs with rescue=idatacsums mount option, it will crash with the following call trace: BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000208 #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode #PF: error_code(0x0000) - not-present page CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 835 Comm: btrfs Tainted: G O 6.15.0-rc3-custom+ #236 PREEMPT(full) Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS unknown 02/02/2022 RIP: 0010:btrfs_lookup_csums_bitmap+0x49/0x480 [btrfs] Call Trace: <TASK> scrub_find_fill_first_stripe+0x35b/0x3d0 [btrfs] scrub_simple_mirror+0x175/0x290 [btrfs] scrub_stripe+0x5f7/0x6f0 [btrfs] scrub_chunk+0x9a/0x150 [btrfs] scrub_enumerate_chunks+0x333/0x660 [btrfs] btrfs_scrub_dev+0x23e/0x600 [btrfs] btrfs_ioctl+0x1dcf/0x2f80 [btrfs] __x64_sys_ioctl+0x97/0xc0 do_syscall_64+0x4f/0x120 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e [CAUSE] Mount option "rescue=idatacsums" will completely skip loading the csum tree, so that any data read will not find any data csum thus we will ignore data checksum verification. Normally call sites utilizing csum tree will check the fs state flag NO_DATA_CSUMS bit, but unfortunately scrub does not check that bit at all. This results in scrub to call btrfs_search_slot() on a NULL pointer and triggered above crash. [FIX] Check both extent and csum tree root before doing any tree search.

Affected

Our own answer: ranges merged, affected separated from platform-only, with confidence and review flags.

5.9 ≤ v < 6.6.936.13 ≤ v < 6.14.96.7 ≤ v < 6.12.315.96.156.15 rc16.15 rc26.15 rc36.15 rc46.15 rc574ef00185eb864252156022ff129b01549504175
Vendor states this is fixed in 50d0de59f66cbe6d597481e099bf1c70fd07e0a9 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6e9770de024964b1017f99ee94f71967bd6edaeb (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in d35bed14b0bc95c6845863a3744ecd10b888c830 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in f95d186255b319c48a365d47b69bd997fecb674e (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 5.9 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.1.191 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.12.31 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.14.9 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.15 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.6.93 (unaffected)

CVSS

Attack Vector
LOCAL
Complexity
LOW
Privileges
LOW
User Interaction
NONE
Scope
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality
NONE
Integrity
NONE
Availability
HIGH
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusMODIFIED
CWE
CWE-476

Get alerted

Stop reading CVE feeds looking for your own stack

Track the products you run and VulnTracker tells you when a new CVE affects them — with what is known about fixing it, and nothing about the rest.

Free plan, no card