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CVE-2025-38478

7.8 · HIGH

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: comedi: Fix initialization of data for instructions that write to subdevice Some Comedi subdevice instruction handlers are know…

Published Jul 28, 2025CWE-908EPSS 0.17%

Overview

CVE-2025-38478 is a high-severity vulnerability. It was published on July 28, 2025 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH).

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8, rated HIGH. 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:

comedi: Fix initialization of data for instructions that write to subdevice

Some Comedi subdevice instruction handlers are known to access

instruction data elements beyond the first `insn->n` elements in some

cases. The `do_insn_ioctl()` and `do_insnlist_ioctl()` functions

allocate at least `MIN_SAMPLES` (16) data elements to deal with this,

but they do not initialize all of that. For Comedi instruction codes

that write to the subdevice, the first `insn->n` data elements are

copied from user-space, but the remaining elements are left

uninitialized. That could be a problem if the subdevice instruction

handler reads the uninitialized data. Ensure that the first

`MIN_SAMPLES` elements are initialized before calling these instruction

handlers, filling the uncopied elements with 0. For

`do_insnlist_ioctl()`, the same data buffer elements are used for

handling a list of instructions, so ensure the first `MIN_SAMPLES`

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-2025-38478?

CVE-2025-38478 is a high-severity vulnerability. It was published on July 28, 2025 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2025-38478?

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8, rated HIGH. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.

How do I fix or remediate CVE-2025-38478?

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-2025-38478?

CyberStrike is an open-source, AI-augmented pentesting engine. Rather than flag a version number, it tests whether an issue like CVE-2025-38478 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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