CVE-2026-43401

cpufreq: intel_pstate: Fix NULL pointer dereference in update_cpu_qos_request()

Published May 8, 2026 CVSS 3.1 · 5.5 Medium EPSS < 1% KEV · Not listed
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

cpufreq: intel_pstate: Fix NULL pointer dereference in update_cpu_qos_request()

The update_cpu_qos_request() function attempts to initialize the 'freq'
variable by dereferencing 'cpudata' before verifying if the 'policy'
is valid.

This issue occurs on systems booted with the "nosmt" parameter, where
all_cpu_data[cpu] is NULL for the SMT sibling threads. As a result,
any call to update_qos_requests() will result in a NULL pointer
dereference as the code will attempt to access pstate.turbo_freq using
the NULL cpudata pointer.

Also, pstate.turbo_freq may be updated by intel_pstate_get_hwp_cap()
after initializing the 'freq' variable, so it is better to defer the
'freq' until intel_pstate_get_hwp_cap() has been called.

Fix this by deferring the 'freq' assignment until after the policy and
driver_data have been validated.

[ rjw: Added one paragraph to the changelog ]

Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record

Tracking

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Advisories

No advisories available
History
Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'partial'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}

Type Values Removed Values Added
CPEs cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.0:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:*
Type Values Removed Values Added
References
Metrics threat_severity

None

cvssV3_1

{'score': 5.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}

threat_severity

Moderate

Type Values Removed Values Added
Weaknesses CWE-476
Type Values Removed Values Added
Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: cpufreq: intel_pstate: Fix NULL pointer dereference in update_cpu_qos_request() The update_cpu_qos_request() function attempts to initialize the 'freq' variable by dereferencing 'cpudata' before verifying if the 'policy' is valid. This issue occurs on systems booted with the "nosmt" parameter, where all_cpu_data[cpu] is NULL for the SMT sibling threads. As a result, any call to update_qos_requests() will result in a NULL pointer dereference as the code will attempt to access pstate.turbo_freq using the NULL cpudata pointer. Also, pstate.turbo_freq may be updated by intel_pstate_get_hwp_cap() after initializing the 'freq' variable, so it is better to defer the 'freq' until intel_pstate_get_hwp_cap() has been called. Fix this by deferring the 'freq' assignment until after the policy and driver_data have been validated. [ rjw: Added one paragraph to the changelog ]
Title cpufreq: intel_pstate: Fix NULL pointer dereference in update_cpu_qos_request()
First Time appeared Linux
Linux linux Kernel
CPEs cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Linux
Linux linux Kernel
References
Weaknesses

Sources

Status
PUBLISHED
Assigner
Linux
Published
Updated
Nov 6, 2026, 3:42 PM
Reserved
May 1, 2026, 2:12 PM
Status
Analyzed
Published
May 8, 2026, 3:16 PM
Modified
Nov 11, 2026, 8:10 PM
Severity
Moderate
Public date
May 8, 2026, 12:00 AM