CVE-2025-37841 is a vulnerability identified in the Linux kernel's cpupower bench component, specifically related to memory allocation failure handling. The issue arises when the malloc function, which is responsible for dynamic memory allocation, returns NULL due to low memory conditions. In this scenario, a pointer named 'config' can become NULL. The vulnerability is a NULL pointer dereference, which occurs when the code attempts to access or manipulate memory through this NULL 'config' pointer without verifying its validity. This can lead to kernel crashes or system instability, as dereferencing NULL pointers in kernel space typically results in a kernel panic. The patch for this vulnerability involves adding a check to ensure that the 'config' pointer is not NULL before it is dereferenced, thereby preventing the NULL pointer dereference. The affected versions are identified by a specific commit hash repeated multiple times, indicating that the vulnerability exists in certain kernel builds prior to the patch. There are no known exploits in the wild at the time of publication, and no CVSS score has been assigned yet. The vulnerability does not appear to require user interaction or authentication, as it is within the kernel's cpupower bench utility, which is typically accessible to privileged users or processes. The technical details confirm that this is a memory safety issue that can cause denial of service through kernel crashes but does not explicitly mention privilege escalation or information disclosure.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-37841 primarily involves potential denial of service (DoS) conditions on Linux systems running affected kernel versions. Since Linux is widely used across European enterprises, government agencies, and critical infrastructure, a kernel panic caused by this vulnerability could disrupt operations, especially in environments where uptime and reliability are critical, such as financial services, telecommunications, healthcare, and manufacturing. Although the vulnerability does not currently have known exploits, the risk of accidental or intentional triggering of the NULL pointer dereference could lead to system crashes, requiring reboots and causing service interruptions. This could affect cloud service providers, data centers, and embedded systems running Linux kernels with the vulnerable cpupower bench component. The absence of privilege escalation or remote code execution limits the scope of impact to availability rather than confidentiality or integrity, but availability disruptions in critical systems can have significant operational and financial consequences. Organizations relying on automated monitoring and performance benchmarking tools that utilize cpupower bench may be particularly exposed if these tools trigger the vulnerable code path under low memory conditions.

To mitigate CVE-2025-37841, European organizations should prioritize updating their Linux kernels to versions that include the patch preventing NULL pointer dereference in the cpupower bench component. Kernel updates should be tested in staging environments to ensure compatibility with existing workloads and tools. Additionally, organizations should monitor system memory usage closely to avoid low memory conditions that could trigger malloc failures. Implementing memory resource limits and alerts can help preemptively reduce the risk of encountering this vulnerability. For environments where immediate patching is not feasible, disabling or restricting access to the cpupower bench utility, especially for non-privileged users, can reduce exposure. Security teams should also audit their systems for the presence of the affected kernel versions and cpupower bench usage. Incorporating kernel crash monitoring and automated recovery mechanisms can minimize downtime if a crash occurs. Finally, maintaining robust backup and disaster recovery plans will help mitigate operational impacts from potential system outages caused by this vulnerability.