The Apple SMC driver contains an uninitialized mutex created in apple_smc_probe(). This mutex is accessed in apple_smc_read() during device probe, occasionally leading to a null pointer dereference. The impact of this dereference is not explicitly stated, but could cause device instability or function failure. Additional referenced weaknesses (CWE-908, CWE-909) indicate potential failure to guard against misuse of internal data and a lack of proper error handling. Based on the description, the likely attack vector is local privileged code execution that can trigger the Apple SMC driver’s probe sequence, resulting in the null pointer dereference.

All Linux kernel builds that include the Apple SMC driver before the patch that initializes the mutex are affected. No version ranges are specified; therefore any kernel incorporating the uninitialized mutex code in the macsmc module is considered vulnerable.

The CVSS score of 5.5 classifies the issue as moderate severity, while the EPSS score of <1% indicates a very low likelihood of exploitation. The vulnerability is not listed in CISA KEV. Based on the description, the likely attack vector is local privileged code execution that interacts with the Apple SMC driver during probing, making the attack vector local. The impact of the null pointer dereference is not explicitly detailed, but it could result in device instability or function failure.