CVE-2025-40275: ALSA: usb-audio: Fix NULL pointer dereference in snd_usb_mixer_controls_badd

Severity: unknown
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.2% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2025-12-06 · updated 2026-10-15

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ALSA: usb-audio: Fix NULL pointer dereference in snd_usb_mixer_controls_badd In snd_usb_create_streams(), for UAC version 3 devices, the Interface Association Descriptor (IAD) is retrieved via usb_ifnum_to_if(). If this call fails, a fallback routine attempts to obtain the IAD from the next interface and sets a BADD profile. However, snd_usb_mixer_controls_badd() assumes that the IAD retrieved from usb_ifnum_to_if() is always valid, without performing a NULL check. This can lead to a NULL pointer dereference when usb_ifnum_to_if() fails to find the interface descriptor. This patch adds a NULL pointer check after calling usb_ifnum_to_if() in snd_usb_mixer_controls_badd() to prevent the dereference. This issue was discovered by syzkaller, which triggered the bug by sending a crafted USB device descriptor.

Affected products

Linux kernel: 4.18 — fixed in 6.18

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 6.18. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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