System crashes at device_release+0x11 with unable to handle kernel NULL pointer

Issue

• System crashes with the following messages:

BUG: unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at virtual address 00000001
 printing eip:
00000001
*pde = 31dcb001
Oops: 0010 [#1]
SMP 
last sysfs file: /class/scsi_host/host1/scan
Modules linked in: ip_conntrack_netbios_ns ip_conntrack nfnetlink iptable_filter ip_tables xt_tcpudp x_tables autofs4 hidp rfcomm l2cap bluetooth lockd sunrpc vsock(U) vmmemctl(U) pvscsi(U) acpiphp splxmod(U) dm_mirror dm_multipath scsi_dh video hwmon backlight sbs i2c_ec button battery asus_acpi ac ipv6 xfrm_nalgo crypto_api lp ata_piix libata sg pcnet32 vmxnet(U) i2c_piix4 ide_cd i2c_core vmci(U) pcspkr mii serio_raw cdrom floppy parport_pc parport dm_raid45 dm_message dm_region_hash dm_log dm_mod dm_mem_cache mpdh(U) lpfc scsi_transport_fc mptsas scsi_transport_sas mptspi mptscsih mptbase scsi_transport_spi sd_mod mpdt(U) scsi_mod ext3 jbd uhci_hcd ohci_hcd ehci_hcd
CPU:    7
EIP:    0060:[<00000001>]    Tainted: G      VLI
EFLAGS: 00010202   (2.6.18-128.el5PAE #1) 
EIP is at 0x1
eax: f6cdbe10   ebx: f6cdbe88   ecx: f6cdbe88   edx: 00000001
esi: c06986e8   edi: c0698680   ebp: f89b6798   esp: d32f6dcc
ds: 007b   es: 007b   ss: 0068
Process udevd (pid: 6639, ti=d32f6000 task=f3514550 task.ti=d32f6000)
Stack: c0550b85 c04e55bd f6cdbea0 c04e55dd d499100c f89b65b8 c04e60b0 00000009 
       00000008 c04a898a d32f6f08 d4991000 f6cdbe88 c0487b9b 00000000 f3202900 
       ef471118 d32f6f08 c047ebef f5f5a022 00000000 00000001 000200d2 c0684a28 
Call Trace:
 [<c0550b85>] device_release+0x11/0x44
 [<c04e55bd>] kobject_cleanup+0x3e/0x5e
 [<c04e55dd>] kobject_release+0x0/0x8
 [<c04e60b0>] kref_put+0x55/0x5f
 [<c04a898a>] sysfs_follow_link+0x18c/0x1ab
 [<c0487b9b>] touch_atime+0x60/0x91
 [<c047ebef>] __link_path_walk+0x9cc/0xd33
 [<c0458d57>] __alloc_pages+0x57/0x297
 [<c047ef9f>] link_path_walk+0x49/0xbd
 [<c0427a87>] do_setitimer+0x15f/0x4b0
 [<c047f36c>] do_path_lookup+0x20e/0x25e
 [<c047fab0>] __user_walk_fd+0x29/0x3a
 [<c0479398>] vfs_stat_fd+0x15/0x3c
 [<c0427a87>] do_setitimer+0x15f/0x4b0
 [<c047944c>] sys_stat64+0xf/0x23
 [<c0610294>] do_page_fault+0x34b/0x600
 [<c042e1e2>] sys_rt_sigaction+0x4d/0x79
 [<c060ff49>] do_page_fault+0x0/0x600
 [<c0404f17>] syscall_call+0x7/0xb
 =======================
Code:  Bad EIP value.
EIP: [<00000001>] 0x1 SS:ESP 0068:d32f6dcc