The Linux meson video decoder driver contains a bug in the vdec_try_fmt_common function. When the VIDIOC_TRY_FMT ioctl is invoked with an unsupported pixel format on the OUTPUT queue, the driver falls back to the hardcoded V4L2_PIX_FMT_MPEG2 format. If a distribution has removed MPEG2 support, the platform format table lacks that entry, causing find_format() to return NULL and the subsequent dereference of fmt_out->max_width triggers a NULL pointer dereference that brings the kernel down with a panic. This results in a local denial‑of‑service condition and can be triggered by any process that has local access to the device.

All Linux kernels that include the unpatched meson media driver are potentially affected, irrespective of distribution. The vulnerability exists in every release prior to the commit that introduced the fallback change. Systems running kernels lacking this commit will experience the crash when the driver is exercised with unsupported pixel formats.

No public exploit is documented and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. The EPSS score is unavailable, suggesting limited real‑world exploitation evidence. The attack vector requires local access to the meson device; the result is a kernel crash (denial of service). Because the failure is confined to the driver, remote exploitation or privilege escalation is not supported by the information provided. The CVSS score is not present in the record, but a null pointer dereference at kernel level is normally considered a high‑severity issue.