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CVE-2025-38222

5.5 · MEDIUM

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: inline: fix len overflow in ext4_prepare_inline_data When running the following code on an ext4 filesystem with inline_da…

Published Jul 4, 2025CWE-190EPSS 0.18%

Overview

CVE-2025-38222 is a medium-severity vulnerability. 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: inline: fix len overflow in ext4_prepare_inline_data

When running the following code on an ext4 filesystem with inline_data

feature enabled, it will lead to the bug below.

fd = open("file1", O_RDWR | O_CREAT | O_TRUNC, 0666);

ftruncate(fd, 30);

pwrite(fd, "a", 1, (1UL << 40) + 5UL);

That happens because write_begin will succeed as when

ext4_generic_write_inline_data calls ext4_prepare_inline_data, pos + len

will be truncated, leading to ext4_prepare_inline_data parameter to be 6

instead of 0x10000000006.

Then, later when write_end is called, we hit:

BUG_ON(pos + len > EXT4_I(inode)->i_inline_size);

at ext4_write_inline_data.

Fix it by using a loff_t type for the len parameter in

ext4_prepare_inline_data instead of an unsigned int.

[ 44.545164] ------------[ cut here ]------------

[ 44.545530] kernel BUG at fs/ext4/inline.c:240!

[ 44.545834] Oops: invalid opcode: 0000

Remediation

Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. 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.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2025-38222?

CVE-2025-38222 is a medium-severity vulnerability. It was published on July 4, 2025 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2025-38222?

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-2025-38222?

Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. 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-2025-38222?

CyberStrike is an open-source, AI-augmented pentesting engine. Rather than flag a version number, it tests whether an issue like CVE-2025-38222 is actually reachable in your own applications and APIs, then verifies each finding before reporting it. That tells you if the weakness is a real, exploitable risk in your environment or a false positive you can safely deprioritize.

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