CVE-2025-38086 Affecting linux-6.1 package, versions <6.1.153-1~deb11u1


Severity

Recommended
low

Based on default assessment until relevant scores are available.

Threat Intelligence

EPSS
0.05% (17th percentile)

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  • Snyk IDSNYK-DEBIAN11-LINUX61-13542091
  • published14 Oct 2025
  • disclosed28 Jun 2025

Introduced: 28 Jun 2025

CVE-2025-38086  (opens in a new tab)

How to fix?

Upgrade Debian:11 linux-6.1 to version 6.1.153-1~deb11u1 or higher.

NVD Description

Note: Versions mentioned in the description apply only to the upstream linux-6.1 package and not the linux-6.1 package as distributed by Debian. See How to fix? for Debian:11 relevant fixed versions and status.

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

net: ch9200: fix uninitialised access during mii_nway_restart

In mii_nway_restart() the code attempts to call mii->mdio_read which is ch9200_mdio_read(). ch9200_mdio_read() utilises a local buffer called "buff", which is initialised with control_read(). However "buff" is conditionally initialised inside control_read():

    if (err == size) {
            memcpy(data, buf, size);
    }

If the condition of "err == size" is not met, then "buff" remains uninitialised. Once this happens the uninitialised "buff" is accessed and returned during ch9200_mdio_read():

    return (buff[0] | buff[1] &lt;&lt; 8);

The problem stems from the fact that ch9200_mdio_read() ignores the return value of control_read(), leading to uinit-access of "buff".

To fix this we should check the return value of control_read() and return early on error.

CVSS Base Scores

version 3.1