CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2025-38157NVD status: Analyzed

Linux: Out-of-bounds Write

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2025-38157 is a high-severity out-of-bounds write vulnerability in Linux, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 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 e5ce9df1d68094d37360dbd9b09289d42fa21e54, 0281c19074976ec48f0078d50530b406ddae75bc, 7ee3fb6258da8c890a51b514f60d7570dc703605 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 0.19% 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 e5ce9df1d68094d37360dbd9b09289d42fa21e54 or 0281c19074976ec48f0078d50530b406ddae75bc or 7ee3fb6258da8c890a51b514f60d7570dc703605 or 40471b23147c86ea3ed97faee79937c618250bd0, 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
LinuxLinux832f6a18fc2aead14954c081ece03b7a5b425f81 up to, but not including, e5ce9df1d68094d37360dbd9b09289d42fa21e54; 832f6a18fc2aead14954c081ece03b7a5b425f81 up to, but not including, 0281c19074976ec48f0078d50530b406ddae75bc; 832f6a18fc2aead14954c081ece03b7a5b425f81 up to, but not including, 7ee3fb6258da8c890a51b514f60d7570dc703605; 832f6a18fc2aead14954c081ece03b7a5b425f81 up to, but not including, 40471b23147c86ea3ed97faee79937c618250bd0; 832f6a18fc2aead14954c081ece03b7a5b425f81 up to, but not including, 5482ef9875eaa43f0435e14570e1193823de857e; 832f6a18fc2aead14954c081ece03b7a5b425f81 up to, but not including, ee5ee646385f5846dcbc881389f3c44a197c402a; 832f6a18fc2aead14954c081ece03b7a5b425f81 up to, but not including, 5a85c21f812e02cb00ca07007d88acdd42d08c46; 832f6a18fc2aead14954c081ece03b7a5b425f81 up to, but not including, ac4e317a95a1092b5da5b9918b7118759342641c; and 1 more rangese5ce9df1d68094d37360dbd9b09289d42fa21e54, 0281c19074976ec48f0078d50530b406ddae75bc, 7ee3fb6258da8c890a51b514f60d7570dc703605, 40471b23147c86ea3ed97faee79937c618250bd0, 5482ef9875eaa43f0435e14570e1193823de857e, ee5ee646385f5846dcbc881389f3c44a197c402a
LinuxLinux Kernel3.0 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
HighData or code can be modified at will.
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:H/A:H. Scored by NVD.

Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: ath9k_htc: Abort software beacon handling if disabled A malicious USB device can send a WMI_SWBA_EVENTID event from an ath9k_htc-managed device before beaconing has been enabled. This causes a device-by-zero error in the driver, leading to either a crash or an out of bounds read. Prevent this by aborting the handling in ath9k_htc_swba() if beacons are not enabled.

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

The underlying weakness: Out-of-bounds Write

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

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Use a language that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. For example, many languages that perform their own memory management, such as Java and Perl, are not subject to buffer overflows. Other languages, such as Ada and C#, typically provide overflow protection, but the protection can be disabled by the programmer. Be wary that a language's interface to native code may still be subject to overflows, even if the language itself is theoretically safe.
  • Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. Examples include the Safe C String Library (SafeStr) by Messier and Viega, and the Strsafe.h library from Microsoft. These libraries provide safer versions of overflow-prone string-handling functions.
  • Use automatic buffer overflow detection mechanisms that are offered by certain compilers or compiler extensions. Examples include: the Microsoft Visual Studio /GS flag, Fedora/Red Hat FORTIFY_SOURCE GCC flag, StackGuard, and ProPolice, which provide various mechanisms including canary-based detection and range/index checking. D3-SFCV (Stack Frame Canary Validation) from D3FEND discusses canary-based detection in detail.

More Out-of-bounds Write vulnerabilities (CWE-787)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: partial).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Recent Out-of-bounds Write vulnerabilities

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