CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2025-38153NVD status: Analyzed

Linux: Out-of-bounds Read

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2025-38153 is a high-severity out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Linux, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.1 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. The record lists versions 8c97655275482ef5384ce0501640630a0fc0f6f4, 11273279012c922f37cfb4dd95d142803fc07b98, f398d2dfe450ce2c031d10b585448862d74a0501 as the first without the flaw, so updating Linux to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.2% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Update Linux to 8c97655275482ef5384ce0501640630a0fc0f6f4 or 11273279012c922f37cfb4dd95d142803fc07b98 or f398d2dfe450ce2c031d10b585448862d74a0501 or acb47a40b5e38be03ef659b7bacdddc592ed73b7, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  2. Update Linux Kernel to 5.4.295 or 5.10.239 or 5.15.186 or 6.1.142, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
LinuxLinuxdf2d59a2ab6c9ceac2c4104272fce03493b8f62f up to, but not including, 8c97655275482ef5384ce0501640630a0fc0f6f4; df2d59a2ab6c9ceac2c4104272fce03493b8f62f up to, but not including, 11273279012c922f37cfb4dd95d142803fc07b98; df2d59a2ab6c9ceac2c4104272fce03493b8f62f up to, but not including, f398d2dfe450ce2c031d10b585448862d74a0501; df2d59a2ab6c9ceac2c4104272fce03493b8f62f up to, but not including, acb47a40b5e38be03ef659b7bacdddc592ed73b7; df2d59a2ab6c9ceac2c4104272fce03493b8f62f up to, but not including, 60790d287c1a1ced3554d4a87c2f27bf299a932a; df2d59a2ab6c9ceac2c4104272fce03493b8f62f up to, but not including, 30a9e834c74e260533b8d0885e3c89f6f32f7993; df2d59a2ab6c9ceac2c4104272fce03493b8f62f up to, but not including, 7c01863b1c47f040d9674171e77789a423b9b128; df2d59a2ab6c9ceac2c4104272fce03493b8f62f up to, but not including, 405b0d610745fb5e84fc2961d9b960abb9f3d107; and 1 more ranges8c97655275482ef5384ce0501640630a0fc0f6f4, 11273279012c922f37cfb4dd95d142803fc07b98, f398d2dfe450ce2c031d10b585448862d74a0501, acb47a40b5e38be03ef659b7bacdddc592ed73b7, 60790d287c1a1ced3554d4a87c2f27bf299a932a, 30a9e834c74e260533b8d0885e3c89f6f32f7993
LinuxLinux Kernel5.0 up to, but not including, 5.4.295; 5.5 up to, but not including, 5.10.239; 5.11 up to, but not including, 5.15.186; 5.16 up to, but not including, 6.1.142; 6.2 up to, but not including, 6.6.94; 6.7 up to, but not including, 6.12.34; 6.13 up to, but not including, 6.15.35.4.295, 5.10.239, 5.15.186, 6.1.142, 6.6.94, 6.12.34
DebianDebian Linux11.0Not stated

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
LowA basic user account is enough.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
NoneNothing can be modified.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H. Scored by NVD.

Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: usb: aqc111: fix error handling of usbnet read calls Syzkaller, courtesy of syzbot, identified an error (see report [1]) in aqc111 driver, caused by incomplete sanitation of usb read calls' results. This problem is quite similar to the one fixed in commit 920a9fa27e78 ("net: asix: add proper error handling of usb read errors"). For instance, usbnet_read_cmd() may read fewer than 'size' bytes, even if the caller expected the full amount, and aqc111_read_cmd() will not check its result properly. As [1] shows, this may lead to MAC address in aqc111_bind() being only partly initialized, triggering KMSAN warnings. Fix the issue by verifying that the number of bytes read is as expected and not less. [1] Partial syzbot report: BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in is_valid_ether_addr include/linux/etherdevice.h:208 [inline] BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in usbnet_probe+0x2e57/0x4390 drivers/net/usb/usbnet.c:1830 is_valid_ether_addr include/linux/etherdevice.h:208 [inline] usbnet_probe+0x2e57/0x4390 drivers/net/usb/usbnet.c:1830 usb_probe_interface+0xd01/0x1310 drivers/usb/core/driver.c:396 call_driver_probe drivers/base/dd.c:-1 [inline] really_probe+0x4d1/0xd90 drivers/base/dd.c:658 __driver_probe_device+0x268/0x380 drivers/base/dd.c:800 ... Uninit was stored to memory at: dev_addr_mod+0xb0/0x550 net/core/dev_addr_lists.c:582 __dev_addr_set include/linux/netdevice.h:4874 [inline] eth_hw_addr_set include/linux/etherdevice.h:325 [inline] aqc111_bind+0x35f/0x1150 drivers/net/usb/aqc111.c:717 usbnet_probe+0xbe6/0x4390 drivers/net/usb/usbnet.c:1772 usb_probe_interface+0xd01/0x1310 drivers/usb/core/driver.c:396 ... Uninit was stored to memory at: ether_addr_copy include/linux/etherdevice.h:305 [inline] aqc111_read_perm_mac drivers/net/usb/aqc111.c:663 [inline] aqc111_bind+0x794/0x1150 drivers/net/usb/aqc111.c:713 usbnet_probe+0xbe6/0x4390 drivers/net/usb/usbnet.c:1772 usb_probe_interface+0xd01/0x1310 drivers/usb/core/driver.c:396 call_driver_probe drivers/base/dd.c:-1 [inline] ... Local variable buf.i created at: aqc111_read_perm_mac drivers/net/usb/aqc111.c:656 [inline] aqc111_bind+0x221/0x1150 drivers/net/usb/aqc111.c:713 usbnet_probe+0xbe6/0x4390 drivers/net/usb/usbnet.c:1772

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Out-of-bounds Read

The product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Use a language that provides appropriate memory abstractions.

More Out-of-bounds Read vulnerabilities (CWE-125)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Recent Out-of-bounds Read vulnerabilities

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