VulnerabilityPublished 13 Jan 2026Updated 19 Oct 2026

CVE-2025-68820: Linux kernel · ext4: xattr: fix null pointer deref in ext4_raw_inode()

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · fixed in ce5f54c065a4a7cbb92787f4f140917112350142 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 13:07 UTC

Severity

Unrated

Rated by Threat Radar · No CVSS score from NVD or the CNA

EPSS

0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 14% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

Exploitation: No evidence of active exploitation and no public proof of concept
Automatable: Attackers cannot reliably automate steps 1–4 of the kill chain
Technical impact: Limited control over the software or limited information exposure

CISA SSVC assessment, 2026-06-16.

Patch

Available – fixed in ce5f54c065a4a7cbb92787f4f140917112350142, b97cb7d6a051aa6ebd57906df0e26e9e36c26d14, b72a3476f0c97d02f63a6e9fff127348d55436f6 +12

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 13 Jan 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected >=5.10.237 <5.10.248 >=5.15.181 <5.15.198 >=6.1.135 <6.1.160 >=6.6.88 <6.6.120 >=6.12.24 <6.12.64 >=5.4.293 <5.5 >=6.13.12 <6.14 >=6.14.3 <6.15	Fixed in ce5f54c065a4a7cbb92787f4f140917112350142 b97cb7d6a051aa6ebd57906df0e26e9e36c26d14 b72a3476f0c97d02f63a6e9fff127348d55436f6 b5d942922182e82724b7152cb998f540132885ec 190ad0f22ba49f1101182b80e3af50ca2ddfe72f 6.15 6.14 6.12.64 6.6.120 6.1.160 5b154e901fda2e98570b8f426a481f5740097dc2 5.15.198 5.10.248 5.5 3d8d22e75f7edfa0b30ff27330fd6a1285d594c3
LinuxLinux	Affected =6.15	Fixed in–

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: xattr: fix null pointer deref in ext4_raw_inode() If ext4_get_inode_loc() fails (e.g. if it returns -EFSCORRUPTED), iloc.bh will remain set to NULL. Since ext4_xattr_inode_dec_ref_all() lacks error checking, this will lead to a null pointer dereference in ext4_raw_inode(), called right after ext4_get_inode_loc(). Found by Linux Verification Center (linuxtesting.org) with SVACE.

CWE-476NULL Pointer Dereference (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: MediumCWE Top 25 (2025): #13OWASP Top 10 A10:2025: Mishandling of Exceptional Conditions (opens in a new tab)
The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL.
Implementation
For any pointers that could have been modified or provided from a function that can return NULL, check the pointer for NULL before use. When working with a multithreaded or otherwise asynchronous environment, ensure that proper locking APIs are used to lock before the check, and unlock when it has finished.
Requirements
Select a programming language that is not susceptible to these issues.
Implementation
Check the results of all functions that return a value and verify that the value is non-null before acting upon it.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Logging (opens in a new tab)
Error Handling (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V11.1.7 (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

WeaknessesCWE-476

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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