CVE-2025-71118: ACPICA: Avoid walking the Namespace if start_node is NULL
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ACPICA: Avoid walking the Namespace if start_node is NULL
Although commit 0c9992315e73 ("ACPICA: Avoid walking the ACPI Namespace
if it is not there") fixed the situation when both start_node and
acpi_gbl_root_node are NULL, the Linux kernel mainline now still crashed
on Honor Magicbook 14 Pro [1].
That happens due to the access to the member of parent_node in
acpi_ns_get_next_node(). The NULL pointer dereference will always
happen, no matter whether or not the start_node is equal to
ACPI_ROOT_OBJECT, so move the check of start_node being NULL
out of the if block.
Unfortunately, all the attempts to contact Honor have failed, they
refused to provide any technical support for Linux.
The bad DSDT table's dump could be found on GitHub [2].
DMI: HONOR FMB-P/FMB-P-PCB, BIOS 1.13 05/08/2025
[ rjw: Subject adjustment, changelog edits ]
Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2025-71118 is a Linux kernel crash bug in ACPICA, the ACPI subsystem used during hardware/firmware handling. A bad ACPI table on an Honor Magicbook 14 Pro caused a NULL pointer dereference. The main business impact is system availability, not confirmed data theft or remote compromise.
Executive priority
Treat this as a targeted availability risk. Patch through normal kernel maintenance unless affected laptops are crashing or business-critical Linux workstations match the described hardware. There is no source-backed evidence of active exploitation or data compromise.
Technical view
The fix prevents ACPICA from walking the ACPI namespace when start_node is NULL. The issue occurs in acpi_ns_get_next_node() through access to parent_node, causing a NULL pointer dereference. The CVE record lists affected Linux kernel versions and stable commits that resolve the issue across maintained branches.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most relevant to Linux systems using affected kernel versions, especially hardware with problematic ACPI/DSDT firmware. The public description specifically cites Honor Magicbook 14 Pro with BIOS 1.13. Broader exposure beyond affected Linux kernels is not established in the provided sources.
Exploitation context
No active exploitation is reported in the provided sources, and the CVE is not listed as KEV. The described trigger is a bad firmware ACPI table causing a kernel crash. The sources do not describe remote exploitation, privilege escalation, or public exploit tooling.
Researcher notes
The evidence centers on a kernel NULL pointer dereference from ACPICA namespace walking with NULL start_node. The affected-version data is broad, while the demonstrated failure is hardware/firmware-specific. CVSS, CWE, and exploitability details are absent from the provided CVE sources.
Mitigation direction
Update affected Linux kernels to versions containing the referenced stable fixes.
Follow distribution or kernel vendor advisories for packaged kernel updates.
Prioritize Linux laptops or fleets with ACPI-related boot or crash symptoms.
If updates are unavailable, request vendor guidance before applying workarounds.
Validation and detection
Inventory Linux kernel versions across affected endpoints and servers.
Check whether deployed kernels include the referenced stable commits.
Review crash logs for ACPI, ACPICA, or NULL pointer dereference messages.
Identify Honor Magicbook 14 Pro systems matching the cited DMI and BIOS details.
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Potential ATT&CK relevance
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CVE-2025-71118 mapping review
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