Junglewise Threat Intelligence

CVE-2025-38342: Linux Kernel out-of-bounds read in software_node_get_reference_args

CVE-2025-38342 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.1 · Published 2025-07-10

Technologies: Linux Kernel. Vendors: Linux.

Executive brief

A vulnerability was identified in the Linux kernel's software node component, which handles device property descriptions. A flaw in how the system checks memory boundaries could allow a local user to trigger an out-of-bounds memory access. This could lead to a system crash or the exposure of sensitive kernel information, potentially impacting system stability and data confidentiality.

Technical details

An out-of-bounds (OOB) read vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel within the 'drivers/base/swnode.c' file. The function software_node_get_reference_args() failed to properly validate the property length when retrieving the @index-th element of a reference array. Specifically, the original check 'index * sizeof(*ref) >= prop->length' did not account for the full size of the element being accessed, allowing an OOB access if a malformed property was provided. An attacker with local access could exploit this to read sensitive kernel memory or cause a kernel panic. The issue has been resolved by updating the boundary check to '((index + 1) * sizeof(*ref) > prop->length)'.

Affected products

  • Linux Linux Kernel 5.0 to 5.10.239, 5.11 to 5.15.186, 5.16 to 6.1.142, 6.2 to 6.6.95, 6.7 to 6.12.35, 6.13 to 6.15.4

Timeline

  • 2025-07-10: disclosed
  • 2025-07-10: advisory
  • 2025-04-15: patched: Initial patch commit in stable tree

References

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