Server gets panic with exception RIP: strchr

Issue

• Kernel panic with message : "BUG: unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at 0000000000000040"

• Server panic at [exception RIP: strchr]

• Call trace from kernel ring buffer messages :

[2279110.491398] BUG: unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at 0000000000000040
[2279110.493397] IP: [<ffffffff8132b6f0>] strncmp+0x60/0x60
[2279110.494365] PGD 0 
[2279110.495413] Oops: 0000 [#1] SMP 
[2279110.503998] CPU: 2 PID: 1035 Comm: vmtoolsd Tainted: G               ------------ T 3.10.0-693.5.2.el7.x86_64 #1
[2279110.505005] Hardware name: VMware, Inc. VMware Virtual Platform/440BX Desktop Reference Platform, BIOS 6.00 09/21/2015
[2279110.505928] task: ffff8817d020dee0 ti: ffff8817d6a04000 task.ti: ffff8817d6a04000
[2279110.507100] RIP: 0010:[<ffffffff8132b6f0>]  [<ffffffff8132b6f0>] strncmp+0x60/0x60
[2279110.508140] RSP: 0018:ffff8817d6a07da8  EFLAGS: 00010202
[2279110.509312] RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: ffff8815957c34b0 RCX: ffff8815957c34b0
[2279110.510494] RDX: 0000000000000000 RSI: 000000000000002c RDI: 0000000000000040
[2279110.511620] RBP: ffff8817d6a07e00 R08: 0000000000019b60 R09: 0000000000000000
[2279110.512902] R10: ffff8815957c34b0 R11: 0000000000000202 R12: ffff880f1a24ef00
[2279110.514204] R13: 0000000000000001 R14: 0000000000000001 R15: 0000000000000000
[2279110.515541] FS:  00007f1e340cf880(0000) GS:ffff88183fc80000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000
[2279110.516661] CS:  0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033
[2279110.517676] CR2: 0000000000000040 CR3: 00000017d6af5000 CR4: 00000000001407e0
[2279110.518708] DR0: 0000000000000000 DR1: 0000000000000000 DR2: 0000000000000000
[2279110.519721] DR3: 0000000000000000 DR6: 00000000ffff0ff0 DR7: 0000000000000400
[2279110.520688] Stack:
[2279110.521729]  ffffffff812bcb72 ffff881606de8030 ffff8815957c34b0 ffff8817d16ec808
[2279110.522793]  0000000000000000 000000005fd3411b ffffffff816edcf0 ffff8817da2b7000
[2279110.523880]  ffff880f1a24ef00 ffff8817d16ec808 ffff880f1a24ef00 ffff8817d6a07e10
[2279110.524936] Call Trace:
[2279110.525987]  [<ffffffff812bcb72>] ? selinux_sb_show_options+0x132/0x470
[2279110.527065]  [<ffffffff812b1ba6>] security_sb_show_options+0x16/0x20
[2279110.528112]  [<ffffffff8124424c>] show_sb_opts+0x5c/0x70
[2279110.529189]  [<ffffffff81244554>] show_vfsmnt+0xc4/0x160
[2279110.530239]  [<ffffffff81220f06>] m_show+0x16/0x20
[2279110.531672]  [<ffffffff81226550>] seq_read+0x250/0x3b0
[2279110.532645]  [<ffffffff81200b1c>] vfs_read+0x9c/0x170
[2279110.533577]  [<ffffffff812019df>] SyS_read+0x7f/0xe0
[2279110.534502]  [<ffffffff816b5089>] system_call_fastpath+0x16/0x1b
[2279110.535396] Code: c1 75 18 48 83 c0 01 84 c9 74 05 48 39 d0 75 e3 31 c0 5d c3 0f 1f 80 00 00 00 00 44 38 c1 19 c0 83 c8 01 5d c3 66 0f 1f 44 00 00 <0f> b6 07 55 48 89 e5 40 38 f0 74 1b 84 c0 89 f2 75 0a eb 1c 0f 
[2279110.537416] RIP  [<ffffffff8132b6f0>] strncmp+0x60/0x60
[2279110.538411]  RSP <ffff8817d6a07da8>
[2279110.539307]