CVE-2025-38585: linux kernel vulnerability

What is known

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: staging: media: atomisp: Fix stack buffer overflow in gmin_get_var_int() When gmin_get_config_var() calls efi.get_variable() and the EFI variable is larger than the expected buffer size, two behaviors combine to create a stack buffer overflow: 1. gmin_get_config_var() does not return the proper error code when efi.get_variable() fails. It returns the stale 'ret' value from earlier operations instead of indicating the EFI failure. 2. When efi.get_variable() returns EFI_BUFFER_TOO_SMALL, it updates *out_len to the required buffer size but writes no data to the output buffer. However, due to bug #1, gmin_get_var_int() believes the call succeeded. The caller gmin_get_var_int() then performs: - Allocates val[CFG_VAR_NAME_MAX + 1] (65 bytes) on stack - Calls gmin_get_config_var(dev, is_gmin, var, val, &len) with len=64 - If EFI variable is >64 bytes, efi.get_variable() sets len=required_size - Due to bug #1, thinks call succeeded with len=required_size - Executes val[len] = 0, writing past end of 65-byte stack buffer This creates a stack buffer overflow when EFI variables are larger than 64 bytes. Since EFI variables can be controlled by firmware or system configuration, this could potentially be exploited for code execution. Fix the bug by returning proper error codes from gmin_get_config_var() based on EFI status instead of stale 'ret' value. The gmin_get_var_int() function is called during device initialization for camera sensor configuration on Intel Bay Trail and Cherry Trail platforms using the atomisp camera stack.

Business impact

Successful exploitation of CVE-2025-38585, 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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