CVE-2025-68375: perf/x86: Fix NULL event access and potential PEBS record loss

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2025-68375 is a vulnerability in linux with no CVSS score yet. EPSS estimates a 0.19% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 8.9% of scored vulnerabilities.

Timeline

1. 24-12-2025
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 11-05-2026
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: perf/x86: Fix NULL event access and potential PEBS record loss When intel_pmu_drain_pebs_icl() is called to drain PEBS records, the perf_event_overflow() could be called to process the last PEBS record. While perf_event_overflow() could trigger the interrupt throttle and stop all events of the group, like what the below call-chain shows. perf_event_overflow() -> __perf_event_overflow() ->__perf_event_account_interrupt() -> perf_event_throttle_group() -> perf_event_throttle() -> event->pmu->stop() -> x86_pmu_stop() The side effect of stopping the events is that all corresponding event pointers in cpuc->events[] array are cleared to NULL. Assume there are two PEBS events (event a and event b) in a group. When intel_pmu_drain_pebs_icl() calls perf_event_overflow() to process the last PEBS record of PEBS event a, interrupt throttle is triggered and all pointers of event a and event b are cleared to NULL. Then intel_pmu_drain_pebs_icl() tries to process the last PEBS record of event b and encounters NULL pointer access. To avoid this issue, move cpuc->events[] clearing from x86_pmu_stop() to x86_pmu_del(). It's safe since cpuc->active_mask or cpuc->pebs_enabled is always checked before access the event pointer from cpuc->events[].

No weakness data has been published for this record.