CVE-2025-38266: linux kernel Null Dereference — Fix

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: pinctrl: mediatek: eint: Fix invalid pointer dereference for v1 platforms Commit 3ef9f710efcb ("pinctrl: mediatek: Add EINT support for multiple addresses") introduced an access to the 'soc' field of struct mtk_pinctrl in mtk_eint_do_init() and for that an include of pinctrl-mtk-common-v2.h. However, pinctrl drivers relying on the v1 common driver include pinctrl-mtk-common.h instead, which provides another definition of struct mtk_pinctrl that does not contain an 'soc' field. Since mtk_eint_do_init() can be called both by v1 and v2 drivers, it will now try to dereference an invalid pointer when called on v1 platforms. This has been observed on Genio 350 EVK (MT8365), which crashes very early in boot (the kernel trace can only be seen with earlycon). In order to fix this, since 'struct mtk_pinctrl' was only needed to get a 'struct mtk_eint_pin', make 'struct mtk_eint_pin' a parameter of mtk_eint_do_init() so that callers need to supply it, removing mtk_eint_do_init()'s dependency on any particular 'struct mtk_pinctrl'.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

5.5

MEDIUM

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-476 CWE-476

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions
linux	linux_kernel	6.15 — 6.15.2

References

Advisories & Patches

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1c9977b263475373b31bbf86af94a5c9ae2be42c https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9ebe21ede792cef851847648962c363cac67d17f

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-38266? +

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: pinctrl: mediatek: eint: Fix invalid pointer dereference for v1 platforms Commit 3ef9f710efcb ("pinctrl: mediatek: Add EINT support for multiple addresses") introduced an access to the 'soc' field of struct mtk_pinctrl in mtk_eint_do_init() and for that an include of pinctrl-mtk-common-v2.h. However, pinctrl drivers relying on the v1 common driver include pinctrl-mtk-common.h instead, which provides another definition of struct mtk_pinctrl that does not contain an 'soc' field. Since mtk_eint_do_init() can be called both by v1 and v2 drivers, it will now try to dereference an invalid pointer when called on v1 platforms. This has been observed on Genio 350 EVK (MT8365), which crashes very early in boot (the kernel trace can only be seen with earlycon). In order to fix this, since 'struct mtk_pinctrl' was only needed to get a 'struct mtk_eint_pin', make 'struct mtk_eint_pin' a parameter of mtk_eint_do_init() so that callers need to supply it, removing mtk_eint_do_init()'s dependency on any particular 'struct mtk_pinctrl'. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2025-38266? +

CVE-2025-38266 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.5 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance.

What products are affected by CVE-2025-38266? +

CVE-2025-38266 affects products from linux, specifically: linux_kernel. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2025-38266? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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CVE-2025-38266