CVE-2025-38659
BaseFortify
Publication date: 2025-08-22
Last updated on: 2026-03-25
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 | From 5.15.160 (inc) to 5.16 (inc) |
| linux | linux_kernel | From 5.15.160 (inc) to 5.16 (inc) |
| linux | linux_kernel | From 5.15.160 (inc) to 5.16 (inc) |
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
| CWE ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CWE-476 | The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL. |
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Powered Q&A
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?
This vulnerability is in the Linux kernel's gfs2 filesystem. When a node withdraws and it is the only node with the filesystem mounted, gfs2 tries to replay the local journal to restore consistency. However, this self-recovery mechanism is flawed and has never worked properly. Specifically, the function gfs2_recover_func() dereferences a pointer that can be invalid, leading to a use-after-free or NULL pointer dereference. The fix was to remove this self-recovery attempt altogether.
How can this vulnerability impact me? :
This vulnerability can cause the Linux kernel to dereference invalid pointers during filesystem recovery, potentially leading to kernel crashes or system instability when the gfs2 filesystem is mounted by a single node that withdraws. This can result in data loss or downtime.
What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?
Update the Linux kernel to a version that includes the fix for this vulnerability, which removes the faulty self recovery mechanism in gfs2. Avoid relying on gfs2 self recovery and ensure that your system is running the patched kernel version that prevents the use-after-free and NULL pointer dereference issues.