CVE-2025-38538: debian linux Memory Corruption — Fix

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: dmaengine: nbpfaxi: Fix memory corruption in probe() The nbpf->chan[] array is allocated earlier in the nbpf_probe() function and it has "num_channels" elements. These three loops iterate one element farther than they should and corrupt memory. The changes to the second loop are more involved. In this case, we're copying data from the irqbuf[] array into the nbpf->chan[] array. If the data in irqbuf[i] is the error IRQ then we skip it, so the iterators are not in sync. I added a check to ensure that we don't go beyond the end of the irqbuf[] array. I'm pretty sure this can't happen, but it seemed harmless to add a check. On the other hand, after the loop has ended there is a check to ensure that the "chan" iterator is where we expect it to be. In the original code we went one element beyond the end of the array so the iterator wasn't in the correct place and it would always return -EINVAL. However, now it will always be in the correct place. I deleted the check since we know the result.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

7.8

HIGH

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

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-787 Out-of-bounds Write

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions
linux	linux_kernel	3.17 — 5.4.297
linux	linux_kernel	5.5 — 5.10.241
linux	linux_kernel	5.11 — 5.15.190
linux	linux_kernel	5.16 — 6.1.147
linux	linux_kernel	6.2 — 6.6.100
linux	linux_kernel	6.7 — 6.12.40
linux	linux_kernel	6.13 — 6.15.8
linux	linux_kernel	All
linux	linux_kernel	All
linux	linux_kernel	All
linux	linux_kernel	All
linux	linux_kernel	All
linux	linux_kernel	All
debian	debian_linux	All

References

Advisories & Patches

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/122160289adf8ebf15060f1cbf6265b55a914948 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/188c6ba1dd925849c5d94885c8bbdeb0b3dcf510 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/24861ef8b517a309a4225f2793be0cd8fa0bec9e https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4bb016438335ec02b01f96bf1367378c2bfe03e5 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/84fff8e6f11b9af1407e273995b5257d99ff0cff https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/aec396b4f736f3f8d2c28a9cd2924a4ada57ae87 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d6bbd67ab5de37a74ac85c83c5a26664b62034dd https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f366b36c5e3ce29c9a3c8eed3d1631908e4fc8bb

Other References

https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/10/msg00007.html https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/10/msg00008.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-38538? +

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: dmaengine: nbpfaxi: Fix memory corruption in probe() The nbpf->chan[] array is allocated earlier in the nbpf_probe() function and it has "num_channels" elements. These three loops iterate one element farther than they should and corrupt memory. The changes to the second loop are more involved. In this case, we're copying data from the irqbuf[] array into the nbpf->chan[] array. If the data in irqbuf[i] is the error IRQ then we skip it, so the iterators are not in sync. I added a check to ensure that we don't go beyond the end of the irqbuf[] array. I'm pretty sure this can't happen, but it seemed harmless to add a check. On the other hand, after the loop has ended there is a check to ensure that the "chan" iterator is where we expect it to be. In the original code we went one element beyond the end of the array so the iterator wasn't in the correct place and it would always return -EINVAL. However, now it will always be in the correct place. I deleted the check since we know the result. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2025-38538? +

CVE-2025-38538 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.8 out of 10, rated HIGH. This is a high-severity vulnerability that should be prioritized for patching.

What products are affected by CVE-2025-38538? +

CVE-2025-38538 affects products from debian, linux, specifically: debian_linux, linux_kernel. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2025-38538? +

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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