CVE-2025-6966: Canonical python-apt · NULL Pointer Dereference
Affects Canonical python-aptSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.9 Medium.
Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 3% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:NExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 5 Dec 2025
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 2026-10-25.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
Ubuntuubuntu/python-aptpkg:deb/ubuntu/python-aptOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
AI-suggested
To mitigate CVE-2025-6966, organizations should implement the following specific measures: 1) Restrict local access to trusted users only, minimizing the risk of malicious file introduction. 2) Monitor and control the sources of deb822 files, ensuring only validated and trusted package metadata is processed. 3) Employ file integrity monitoring on directories and files related to package management to detect unauthorized changes. 4) Apply input validation and sanitization at the application or wrapper level if possible, to reject malformed or non-UTF-8 encoded keys before processing. 5) Stay alert for official patches or updates from Canonical and Debian maintainers and apply them promptly once released. 6) Consider deploying runtime protections such as seccomp or AppArmor profiles to limit the impact of process crashes. 7) Maintain comprehensive logging and alerting on package management operations to quickly identify abnormal failures. These targeted actions go beyond generic advice by focusing on controlling local file inputs and access, which are critical given the local attack vector and file-based trigger of this vulnerability.
Description
NULL pointer dereference in TagSection.keys() in python-apt on APT-based Linux systems allows a local attacker to cause a denial of service (process crash) via a crafted deb822 file with a malformed non-UTF-8 key.