RHEL7: panic at get_next_timer_interrupt+0x1b8

Issue

• Kernel panic occurs with logs:

[3730695.743427] BUG: unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at 0000000000000018
[3730695.743437] IP: [<ffffffff840b3db8>] get_next_timer_interrupt+0x1b8/0x260
[3730695.743450] PGD 80000003205db067 PUD 32273c067 PMD 0 
[3730695.743458] Oops: 0000 [#1] SMP 
[3730695.743463] Modules linked in: zzy_firewall(FOE) nf_conntrack_netlink ip6t_MASQUERADE nf_nat_masquerade_ipv6 xt_length xt_set ipt_MASQUERADE nf_nat_masquerade_ipv4 xt_nat ip_set_hash_ip ip_set ip6table_nat nf_conntrack_ipv6 nf_defrag_ipv6 nf_nat_ipv6 ip6table_filter ip6_tables iptable_nat nf_conntrack_ipv4 nf_defrag_ipv4 nf_nat_ipv4 nf_nat iptable_filter tun nf_conntrack_ftp nf_conntrack macsec vsock_diag tcp_diag udp_diag inet_diag unix_diag af_packet_diag netlink_diag vmw_vsock_vmci_transport vsock sunrpc ppdev crc32_pclmul vmw_balloon ghash_clmulni_intel aesni_intel lrw gf128mul glue_helper ablk_helper cryptd joydev pcspkr sg parport_pc parport i2c_piix4 vmw_vmci binfmt_misc ip_tables xfs libcrc32c sr_mod cdrom sd_mod crc_t10dif crct10dif_generic ata_generic pata_acpi crct10dif_pclmul crct10dif_common
[3730695.743542]  crc32c_intel serio_raw vmwgfx drm_kms_helper syscopyarea sysfillrect sysimgblt fb_sys_fops ttm drm vmxnet3 ata_piix nfit vmw_pvscsi libata libnvdimm drm_panel_orientation_quirks dm_mirror dm_region_hash dm_log dm_mod [last unloaded: zzy_firewall]
[3730695.743571] CPU: 1 PID: 0 Comm: swapper/1 Kdump: loaded Tainted: GF          OE  ------------ T 3.10.0-1160.83.1.el7.x86_64 #1
[3730695.743576] Hardware name: VMware, Inc. VMware Virtual Platform/440BX Desktop Reference Platform, BIOS 6.00 04/05/2016
[3730695.743581] task: ffff96c7ec57c200 ti: ffff96c7ec58c000 task.ti: ffff96c7ec58c000
[3730695.743585] RIP: 0010:[<ffffffff840b3db8>]  [<ffffffff840b3db8>] get_next_timer_interrupt+0x1b8/0x260
[3730695.743593] RSP: 0018:ffff96c7ec58fde8  EFLAGS: 00010017
[3730695.743597] RAX: ffff96ce9d654968 RBX: 000d411c63b5ff40 RCX: 0000000000000082
[3730695.743601] RDX: 0000000000000000 RSI: 0040800c00000000 RDI: 0000000001de5a61
[3730695.743605] RBP: ffff96c7ec58fe38 R08: ffff96ce9d654b78 R09: 0000000000000001
[3730695.743609] R10: 0000000000000021 R11: 0000000000000021 R12: 00000001de5a6076
[3730695.743613] R13: ffff96ce9d653940 R14: ffff96c7ec58fdf0 R15: ffff96c7ec58fe08
[3730695.743618] FS:  0000000000000000(0000) GS:ffff96ce9d640000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000
[3730695.743623] CS:  0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033
[3730695.743627] CR2: 0000000000000018 CR3: 00000007e23e2000 CR4: 00000000000007e0
[3730695.743716] Call Trace:
[3730695.743730]  [<ffffffff841177b7>] tick_nohz_stop_sched_tick+0x1f7/0x390
[3730695.743738]  [<ffffffff841179ef>] __tick_nohz_idle_enter+0x9f/0x170
[3730695.743746]  [<ffffffff84117f9f>] tick_nohz_idle_enter+0x3f/0x70
[3730695.743754]  [<ffffffff84108057>] cpu_startup_entry+0xa7/0x1e0
[3730695.743763]  [<ffffffff8405d3a7>] start_secondary+0x1f7/0x270
[3730695.743770]  [<ffffffff840000d5>] start_cpu+0x5/0x14
[3730695.743774] Code: 95 28 1c 00 00 48 89 55 c8 41 89 fb 41 83 e3 3f 45 89 da 4d 63 c2 49 c1 e0 04 49 01 c0 49 8b 10 4c 39 c2 74 25 66 0f 1f 44 00 00 <f6> 42 18 01 75 11 48 8b 72 10 41 b9 01 00 00 00 48 39 ce 48 0f 
[3730695.743835] RIP  [<ffffffff840b3db8>] get_next_timer_interrupt+0x1b8/0x260
[3730695.743842]  RSP <ffff96c7ec58fde8>
[3730695.743845] CR2: 0000000000000018