CVE-2025-38538
7.8 · HIGHOverview
CVE-2025-38538 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting linux linux_kernel. 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 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 | >= 3.17, < 5.4.297 | Affected |
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2025-38538?
CVE-2025-38538 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting linux linux_kernel. 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 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-2025-38538?
CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2025-38538 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.
How CyberStrike Helps
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