---
id: CVE-2025-38645
title: 'net/mlx5: Check device memory pointer before usage'
summary: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  net/mlx5: Check device memory pointer before usage

  Add a NULL check before accessing device memory to prevent a crash if
  dev->dm allocation in mlx5_init_once() fails.
severity: none
vendor: Linux
product: Linux
affected:
  - >-
    Linux >= c9b9dcb430b3cd0ad2b04c360c4e528d73430481 <
    9053a69abfb5680c2a95292b96df5d204bc0776f
  - >-
    Linux >= c9b9dcb430b3cd0ad2b04c360c4e528d73430481 <
    eebb225fe6c9103293807b8edabcbad59f9589bc
  - >-
    Linux >= c9b9dcb430b3cd0ad2b04c360c4e528d73430481 <
    62d7cf455c887941ed6f105cd430ba04ee0b6c9f
  - >-
    Linux >= c9b9dcb430b3cd0ad2b04c360c4e528d73430481 <
    4249f1307932f1b6bbb8b7eba60d82f0b7e44430
  - >-
    Linux >= c9b9dcb430b3cd0ad2b04c360c4e528d73430481 <
    3046b011d368162b1b9ca9453eee0fea930e0a93
  - >-
    Linux >= c9b9dcb430b3cd0ad2b04c360c4e528d73430481 <
    da899a1fd7c40e2e4302af1db7d0b8540fb22283
  - >-
    Linux >= c9b9dcb430b3cd0ad2b04c360c4e528d73430481 <
    70f238c902b8c0461ae6fbb8d1a0bbddc4350eea
  - Linux 5.4
ssvc:
  exploitation: none
  automatable: 'no'
  technicalImpact: partial
  timestamp: '2026-11-05T21:05:52.690620Z'
published: '2025-08-22'
updated: '2026-11-05'
sourceUpdated: '2026-11-05T21:12:50.628Z'
source: CVEORG
sourceUrl: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-38645'
references:
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9053a69abfb5680c2a95292b96df5d204bc0776f'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/eebb225fe6c9103293807b8edabcbad59f9589bc'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/62d7cf455c887941ed6f105cd430ba04ee0b6c9f'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4249f1307932f1b6bbb8b7eba60d82f0b7e44430'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3046b011d368162b1b9ca9453eee0fea930e0a93'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/da899a1fd7c40e2e4302af1db7d0b8540fb22283'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/70f238c902b8c0461ae6fbb8d1a0bbddc4350eea'
tags:
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00166
epssPercentile: 0.05914
ingestedAt: '2026-11-05T22:38:32.005Z'
---

## Overview

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

net/mlx5: Check device memory pointer before usage

Add a NULL check before accessing device memory to prevent a crash if
dev->dm allocation in mlx5_init_once() fails.

## Affected

- `Linux >= c9b9dcb430b3cd0ad2b04c360c4e528d73430481 < 9053a69abfb5680c2a95292b96df5d204bc0776f`
- `Linux >= c9b9dcb430b3cd0ad2b04c360c4e528d73430481 < eebb225fe6c9103293807b8edabcbad59f9589bc`
- `Linux >= c9b9dcb430b3cd0ad2b04c360c4e528d73430481 < 62d7cf455c887941ed6f105cd430ba04ee0b6c9f`
- `Linux >= c9b9dcb430b3cd0ad2b04c360c4e528d73430481 < 4249f1307932f1b6bbb8b7eba60d82f0b7e44430`
- `Linux >= c9b9dcb430b3cd0ad2b04c360c4e528d73430481 < 3046b011d368162b1b9ca9453eee0fea930e0a93`
- `Linux >= c9b9dcb430b3cd0ad2b04c360c4e528d73430481 < da899a1fd7c40e2e4302af1db7d0b8540fb22283`
- `Linux >= c9b9dcb430b3cd0ad2b04c360c4e528d73430481 < 70f238c902b8c0461ae6fbb8d1a0bbddc4350eea`
- `Linux 5.4`

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.