CVE-2025-38623

/// Technical description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

PCI: pnv_php: Fix surprise plug detection and recovery

The existing PowerNV hotplug code did not handle surprise plug events

correctly, leading to a complete failure of the hotplug system after device

removal and a required reboot to detect new devices.

This comes down to two issues:

1) When a device is surprise removed, often the bridge upstream

port will cause a PE freeze on the PHB. If this freeze is not

cleared, the MSI interrupts from the bridge hotplug notification

logic will not be received by the kernel, stalling all plug events

on all slots associated with the PE.

2) When a device is removed from a slot, regardless of surprise or

programmatic removal, the associated PHB/PE ls left frozen.

If this freeze is not cleared via a fundamental reset, skiboot

is unable to clear the freeze and cannot retrain / rescan the

slot. This also requires a reboot to clear the freeze and r

/// 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.

/// References