CVE-2025-38110: linux kernel vulnerability

What is known

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mdiobus: Fix potential out-of-bounds clause 45 read/write access When using publicly available tools like 'mdio-tools' to read/write data from/to network interface and its PHY via C45 (clause 45) mdiobus, there is no verification of parameters passed to the ioctl and it accepts any mdio address. Currently there is support for 32 addresses in kernel via PHY_MAX_ADDR define, but it is possible to pass higher value than that via ioctl. While read/write operation should generally fail in this case, mdiobus provides stats array, where wrong address may allow out-of-bounds read/write. Fix that by adding address verification before C45 read/write operation. While this excludes this access from any statistics, it improves security of read/write operation.

Business impact

Successful exploitation of CVE-2025-38110, a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.8) affecting linux kernel, may affect the confidentiality, integrity or availability of the vulnerable environment. The exact impact depends on the installed version, exposed interfaces and deployment configuration.

Recommended administrator action

Confirm whether linux kernel is present and compare installed versions with the vendor advisory and NVD record. Apply the vendor patch or documented mitigation; until remediation is complete, reduce exposure of affected interfaces, review relevant logs and monitor for indicators of exploitation. DataHouse can support version verification, managed patching, network exposure reduction, log review and backup validation for dedicated, cloud and colocated environments.

Sources

• NVD
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