CVE-2026-23044

A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability was found in the Linux kernel's hibernation subsystem. When crypto_alloc_acomp() fails and returns an ERR_PTR value, the cleanup code in save_compressed_image() and load_compressed_image() unconditionally calls crypto_free_acomp() without checking for the error. This causes crypto_acomp_tfm() to dereference the invalid pointer, crashing the kernel during hibernation operations.

This vulnerability can be triggered when attempting to hibernate a system where the required compression algorithm (such as LZO) is not available or not compiled into the kernel. The crash occurs during the error handling path of hibernation save or resume operations. Exploitation is limited to causing a denial of service and requires the ability to initiate hibernation.

The CVSS score(s) listed for this vulnerability do not reflect the associated product's status, and are included for informational purposes to better understand the severity of this vulnerability.