CVE-2025-38438
BaseFortify
Publication date: 2025-07-25
Last updated on: 2025-11-19
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 5.15.160 (inc) to 5.16 (inc) |
| linux | linux_kernel | 6.16 |
| linux | linux_kernel | 6.16 |
| linux | linux_kernel | 6.16 |
| linux | linux_kernel | From 5.15.160 (inc) to 5.16 (inc) |
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
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?
This vulnerability is a memory leak in the Linux kernel's ASoC SOF Intel HDA driver. Specifically, the sof_pdata->tplg_filename can have an address allocated by kstrdup() that may be overwritten, causing a memory leak. This was detected by kmemleak as an unreferenced object in memory, indicating that allocated memory was not properly freed.
How can this vulnerability impact me? :
The memory leak can lead to increased memory usage over time, potentially degrading system performance or causing resource exhaustion if the leak is significant and persistent. However, there is no indication that this vulnerability leads to code execution or privilege escalation.
How can this vulnerability be detected on my network or system? Can you suggest some commands?
This vulnerability can be detected by using the Linux kernel's kmemleak tool, which identifies memory leaks. You can enable kmemleak and check for unreferenced objects related to snd_sof_intel_hda_generic. For example, you can use the following commands: 1. Enable kmemleak (if not already enabled): echo scan > /sys/kernel/debug/kmemleak 2. Check for memory leaks: cat /sys/kernel/debug/kmemleak Look for entries similar to the unreferenced object with comm "kworker/4:1" and references to sof-hda-generic as described in the vulnerability details.
What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?
To mitigate this vulnerability, update your Linux kernel to a version where the issue is fixed by using devm_kstrdup() instead of kstrdup() in the snd_sof_intel_hda_generic driver. This prevents the memory leak. If an immediate update is not possible, monitor kmemleak reports and consider disabling the affected module (snd_sof_intel_hda_generic) temporarily to avoid the memory leak until a patched kernel is applied.