CVE-2025-38148
BaseFortify
Publication date: 2025-07-03
Last updated on: 2025-12-18
Assigner: kernel.org
Description
Description
CVSS Scores
EPSS Scores
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Meta Information
Affected Vendors & Products
| Vendor | Product | Version / Range |
|---|---|---|
| linux | linux_kernel | From 5.9 (inc) to 5.15.192 (exc) |
| linux | linux_kernel | From 5.16 (inc) to 6.1.142 (exc) |
| linux | linux_kernel | From 6.2 (inc) to 6.6.94 (exc) |
| linux | linux_kernel | From 6.7 (inc) to 6.12.34 (exc) |
| linux | linux_kernel | From 6.13 (inc) to 6.15.3 (exc) |
| debian | debian_linux | 11.0 |
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
| CWE ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CWE-401 | The product does not sufficiently track and release allocated memory after it has been used, making the memory unavailable for reallocation and reuse. |
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Powered Q&A
How can this vulnerability impact me? :
The memory leak caused by this vulnerability can lead to increased memory usage over time, potentially degrading system performance or causing resource exhaustion on systems using one-step timestamping with the affected driver. This could result in instability or crashes if the leak is severe and not addressed.
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?
This vulnerability is a memory leak in the Linux kernel related to the mscc network PHY driver when using one-step timestamping. In one-step sync timestamping, the hardware inserts the transmit time directly into the frame, so the software no longer needs to keep the socket buffer (skb). However, because the hardware does not generate an interrupt to indicate the frame was timestamped, the frame was never released, causing a memory leak. The fix involves freeing the frame in this scenario to prevent the leak.
What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?
To mitigate this vulnerability, update your Linux kernel to a version that includes the fix for the memory leak in the mscc PHY driver related to one-step timestamping. This fix ensures that frames are properly freed, preventing memory leaks when using one-step sync timestamping.