CVE-2025-38641: 
Linux Kernel vulnerability analysis and mitigation

A vulnerability has been identified in the Linux kernel's Bluetooth subsystem (CVE-2025-38641), specifically in the btusb component. The issue was discovered and disclosed on August 22, 2025, affecting the Linux kernel's Bluetooth USB handling functionality. The vulnerability involves a potential NULL pointer dereference that occurs due to improper handling of kmalloc failure conditions (NVD Database).

The vulnerability stems from improper validation of kmalloc return values in the btusb component of the Linux kernel's Bluetooth subsystem. When memory allocation fails, the code could proceed to dereference a NULL pointer. The vulnerability has been assigned a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H), indicating a medium severity level with local access required (Red Hat XML).

The vulnerability can lead to a NULL pointer dereference, which typically results in a system crash or denial of service condition. The impact is primarily limited to system availability, with no direct impact on confidentiality or integrity (Red Hat XML).

A fix has been developed that properly checks the return value of kmalloc and handles allocation failure appropriately. The status of the fix varies by distribution: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 and 10 have deferred the fix, while Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 and 8 are not affected. System administrators should monitor their respective distribution's security advisories for patch availability (Red Hat XML).