CVE-2025-38220
5.5 · MEDIUMOverview
CVE-2025-38220 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting linux linux_kernel. It was published on July 4, 2025 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.
Technical Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ext4: only dirty folios when data journaling regular files
fstest generic/388 occasionally reproduces a crash that looks as
follows:
BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000
...
Call Trace:
<TASK>
ext4_block_zero_page_range+0x30c/0x380 [ext4]
ext4_truncate+0x436/0x440 [ext4]
ext4_process_orphan+0x5d/0x110 [ext4]
ext4_orphan_cleanup+0x124/0x4f0 [ext4]
ext4_fill_super+0x262d/0x3110 [ext4]
get_tree_bdev_flags+0x132/0x1d0
vfs_get_tree+0x26/0xd0
vfs_cmd_create+0x59/0xe0
__do_sys_fsconfig+0x4ed/0x6b0
do_syscall_64+0x82/0x170
...
This occurs when processing a symlink inode from the orphan list. The
partial block zeroing code in the truncate path calls
ext4_dirty_journalled_data() -> folio_mark_dirty(). The latter calls
mapping->a_ops->dirty_folio(), but symlink inodes are not assigned an
a_ops vector in ext4, hence the crash.
To avoid this problem, update the ext4_dirty_journalled_data(
Remediation
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from linux. Update linux_kernel to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| linux | linux_kernel | >= 6.4, < 6.6.95 | Affected |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2025-38220?
CVE-2025-38220 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting linux linux_kernel. It was published on July 4, 2025 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).
How severe is CVE-2025-38220?
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.
How do I fix or remediate CVE-2025-38220?
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from linux. Update linux_kernel to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2025-38220?
CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2025-38220 across your infrastructure using autonomous pentesting, DAST scanning, and HackBrowser. The platform continuously monitors for known vulnerabilities and provides actionable remediation guidance prioritized by real-world exploitability.
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