Executive brief
A vulnerability was identified in the Linux kernel's Panthor DRM driver, which manages certain graphics processing units. Under specific conditions when the hardware is being unplugged or disabled, the system may attempt to access memory that has not been initialized, leading to a system crash. This could result in a denial-of-service, impacting the stability and availability of affected systems.
Technical details
A NULL pointer dereference exists in the panthor_fw_unplug() function within the Panthor DRM driver (drivers/gpu/drm/panthor/panthor_fw.c). The issue occurs because the code attempts to execute MCU halt and wait-for-halt procedures even if the firmware has not been fully loaded or initialized. If the firmware state is uninitialized, these procedures access NULL pointers, causing a kernel panic. The fix involves removing the explicit halt-and-wait sequence during unplug, as simply stopping the MCU is sufficient and safer. This is a local vulnerability that can be triggered during device removal or driver shutdown.
Affected products
- Linux Linux Kernel panthor driver
Timeline
- 2025-12-15: other: Patch submitted by developer
- 2026-05-27: advisory: CVE published in NVD