CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2025-38348NVD status: Analyzed

Linux: Out-of-bounds Write

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2025-38348 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 12134f79e53eb56b0b0b7447fa0c512acf6a8422, 9701f842031b825e2fd5f22d064166f8f13f6e4d, 1f7f8168abe8cbe845ab8bb557228d44784a6b57 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 0.21% 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 12134f79e53eb56b0b0b7447fa0c512acf6a8422 or 9701f842031b825e2fd5f22d064166f8f13f6e4d or 1f7f8168abe8cbe845ab8bb557228d44784a6b57 or f39b2f8c1549a539846e083790fad396ef6cd802, 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
LinuxLinux7cb770729ba895f73253dfcd46c3fcba45d896f9 up to, but not including, 12134f79e53eb56b0b0b7447fa0c512acf6a8422; 7cb770729ba895f73253dfcd46c3fcba45d896f9 up to, but not including, 9701f842031b825e2fd5f22d064166f8f13f6e4d; 7cb770729ba895f73253dfcd46c3fcba45d896f9 up to, but not including, 1f7f8168abe8cbe845ab8bb557228d44784a6b57; 7cb770729ba895f73253dfcd46c3fcba45d896f9 up to, but not including, f39b2f8c1549a539846e083790fad396ef6cd802; 7cb770729ba895f73253dfcd46c3fcba45d896f9 up to, but not including, 0e4dc150423b829c35cbcf399481ca11594fc036; 7cb770729ba895f73253dfcd46c3fcba45d896f9 up to, but not including, 6d05390d20f110de37d051a3e063ef0a542d01fb; 7cb770729ba895f73253dfcd46c3fcba45d896f9 up to, but not including, 714afb4c38edd19a057d519c1f9c5d164b43de94; 7cb770729ba895f73253dfcd46c3fcba45d896f9 up to, but not including, da1b9a55ff116cb040528ef664c70a4eec03ae99; and 1 more ranges12134f79e53eb56b0b0b7447fa0c512acf6a8422, 9701f842031b825e2fd5f22d064166f8f13f6e4d, 1f7f8168abe8cbe845ab8bb557228d44784a6b57, f39b2f8c1549a539846e083790fad396ef6cd802, 0e4dc150423b829c35cbcf399481ca11594fc036, 6d05390d20f110de37d051a3e063ef0a542d01fb
LinuxLinux Kernel2.6.28 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, 6.6.95; 6.7 up to, but not including, 6.12.35; 6.13 up to, but not including, 6.15.45.4.295, 5.10.239, 5.15.186, 6.1.142, 6.6.95, 6.12.35
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: p54: prevent buffer-overflow in p54_rx_eeprom_readback() Robert Morris reported: |If a malicious USB device pretends to be an Intersil p54 wifi |interface and generates an eeprom_readback message with a large |eeprom->v1.len, p54_rx_eeprom_readback() will copy data from the |message beyond the end of priv->eeprom. | |static void p54_rx_eeprom_readback(struct p54_common *priv, | struct sk_buff *skb) |{ | struct p54_hdr *hdr = (struct p54_hdr *) skb->data; | struct p54_eeprom_lm86 *eeprom = (struct p54_eeprom_lm86 *) hdr->data; | | if (priv->fw_var >= 0x509) { | memcpy(priv->eeprom, eeprom->v2.data, | le16_to_cpu(eeprom->v2.len)); | } else { | memcpy(priv->eeprom, eeprom->v1.data, | le16_to_cpu(eeprom->v1.len)); | } | [...] The eeprom->v{1,2}.len is set by the driver in p54_download_eeprom(). The device is supposed to provide the same length back to the driver. But yes, it's possible (like shown in the report) to alter the value to something that causes a crash/panic due to overrun. This patch addresses the issue by adding the size to the common device context, so p54_rx_eeprom_readback no longer relies on possibly tampered values... That said, it also checks if the "firmware" altered the value and no longer copies them. The one, small saving grace is: Before the driver tries to read the eeprom, it needs to upload >a< firmware. the vendor firmware has a proprietary license and as a reason, it is not present on most distributions by default.

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. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Recent Out-of-bounds Write vulnerabilities

Spotted an error? Tell us.