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CVE-2025-38538

7.8 · HIGH

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 a…

Published Aug 16, 2025CWE-787EPSS 0.18%

Overview

CVE-2025-38538 is a high-severity vulnerability. It was published on August 16, 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:

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 wi

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-2025-38538?

CVE-2025-38538 is a high-severity vulnerability. It was published on August 16, 2025 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2025-38538?

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-2025-38538?

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-2025-38538?

CyberStrike is an open-source, AI-augmented pentesting engine. Rather than flag a version number, it tests whether an issue like CVE-2025-38538 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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