CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2025-38574NVD status: Modified

Linux: Use of Uninitialized Resource

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2025-38574 is a high-severity use of uninitialized resource 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 97b8c5d322c5c0038cac4bc56fdbe237d0be426f, 26672f1679b143aa34fca0b6046b7fd0c184770d, 5de7513f38f3c19c0610294ee478242bea356f8c 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 0.41% 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 97b8c5d322c5c0038cac4bc56fdbe237d0be426f or 26672f1679b143aa34fca0b6046b7fd0c184770d or 5de7513f38f3c19c0610294ee478242bea356f8c or 504cc4ab91073d2ac7404ad146139f86ecee7193, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  2. Update Linux Kernel to 5.4.297 or 5.10.241 or 5.15.190 or 6.1.148, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
LinuxLinux1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 up to, but not including, 97b8c5d322c5c0038cac4bc56fdbe237d0be426f; 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 up to, but not including, 26672f1679b143aa34fca0b6046b7fd0c184770d; 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 up to, but not including, 5de7513f38f3c19c0610294ee478242bea356f8c; 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 up to, but not including, 504cc4ab91073d2ac7404ad146139f86ecee7193; 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 up to, but not including, 5005d24377378a20e5c0e53052fc4ebdcdcbc611; 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 up to, but not including, ea99b88b1999ebcb24d5d3a6b7910030f40d3bba; 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 up to, but not including, b7dcda76fd0615c0599c89f36873a6cd48e02dbb; 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 up to, but not including, 1a04db0fd75cb6034fc27a56b67b3b8b9022a98c; and 2 more ranges97b8c5d322c5c0038cac4bc56fdbe237d0be426f, 26672f1679b143aa34fca0b6046b7fd0c184770d, 5de7513f38f3c19c0610294ee478242bea356f8c, 504cc4ab91073d2ac7404ad146139f86ecee7193, 5005d24377378a20e5c0e53052fc4ebdcdcbc611, ea99b88b1999ebcb24d5d3a6b7910030f40d3bba
LinuxLinux Kernel2.6.13 up to, but not including, 5.4.297; 5.5 up to, but not including, 5.10.241; 5.11 up to, but not including, 5.15.190; 5.16 up to, but not including, 6.1.148; 6.2 up to, but not including, 6.6.102; 6.7 up to, but not including, 6.12.42; 6.13 up to, but not including, 6.15.10; 6.16 up to, but not including, 6.16.1; and 1 more ranges5.4.297, 5.10.241, 5.15.190, 6.1.148, 6.6.102, 6.12.42
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.

Scoring systemScoreSeverityScored by
CVSS 3.18.6HighCNA
CVSS 3.17.8HighNVD

Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: pptp: ensure minimal skb length in pptp_xmit() Commit aabc6596ffb3 ("net: ppp: Add bound checking for skb data on ppp_sync_txmung") fixed ppp_sync_txmunge() We need a similar fix in pptp_xmit(), otherwise we might read uninit data as reported by syzbot. BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in pptp_xmit+0xc34/0x2720 drivers/net/ppp/pptp.c:193 pptp_xmit+0xc34/0x2720 drivers/net/ppp/pptp.c:193 ppp_channel_bridge_input drivers/net/ppp/ppp_generic.c:2290 [inline] ppp_input+0x1d6/0xe60 drivers/net/ppp/ppp_generic.c:2314 pppoe_rcv_core+0x1e8/0x760 drivers/net/ppp/pppoe.c:379 sk_backlog_rcv+0x142/0x420 include/net/sock.h:1148 __release_sock+0x1d3/0x330 net/core/sock.c:3213 release_sock+0x6b/0x270 net/core/sock.c:3767 pppoe_sendmsg+0x15d/0xcb0 drivers/net/ppp/pppoe.c:904 sock_sendmsg_nosec net/socket.c:712 [inline] __sock_sendmsg+0x330/0x3d0 net/socket.c:727 ____sys_sendmsg+0x893/0xd80 net/socket.c:2566 ___sys_sendmsg+0x271/0x3b0 net/socket.c:2620 __sys_sendmmsg+0x2d9/0x7c0 net/socket.c:2709

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

The underlying weakness: Use of Uninitialized Resource

The product uses or accesses a resource that has not been initialized.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Explicitly initialize the resource before use. If this is performed through an API function or standard procedure, follow all required steps.
  • Pay close attention to complex conditionals that affect initialization, since some branches might not perform the initialization.
  • Avoid race conditions (CWE-362) during initialization routines.

More Use of Uninitialized Resource vulnerabilities (CWE-908)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: yes, technical impact: partial).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Third-party and government advisories

Recent Use of Uninitialized Resource vulnerabilities

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