CVE-2025-38027 – A memory corruption vulnerability in the Linux ... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2025-38027?

CVE-2025-38027 has a CVSS score of 7.1 (HIGH). A memory corruption vulnerability in the Linux kernel's max20086 regulator driver allows invalid memory access when device probing fails. This affects Linux systems using the max20086 regulator driver, potentially leading to kernel crashes or instability. The vulnerability occurs due to improper memory management of stack-allocated data structures.

📋 TL;DR

A memory corruption vulnerability in the Linux kernel's max20086 regulator driver allows invalid memory access when device probing fails. This affects Linux systems using the max20086 regulator driver, potentially leading to kernel crashes or instability. The vulnerability occurs due to improper memory management of stack-allocated data structures.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel with max20086 regulator driver

Versions: Linux kernel versions containing the vulnerable max20086 driver code before the fix commits

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects systems with max20086 hardware or where the driver is loaded. The vulnerability triggers when device probing fails.

📦 What is this software?

Debian Linux by Debian

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Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

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Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

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Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Kernel panic leading to system crash and denial of service, potentially allowing privilege escalation if combined with other vulnerabilities.

🟠

Likely Case

System instability or crash when max20086 regulator device fails to probe, causing denial of service for affected systems.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minor system instability that may require reboot if the vulnerable code path is triggered.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - This is a kernel driver vulnerability requiring local access or specific hardware conditions.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Internal systems with max20086 hardware could experience crashes affecting operations.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: HIGH

Exploitation requires triggering the vulnerable code path through device probe failure, which may require specific hardware conditions or kernel manipulation.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Linux kernel with commits 5578ab04bd7732f470fc614bbc0a924900399fb8, 6b0cd72757c69bc2d45da42b41023e288d02e772, 6ba30f7aa2c550b2ac04f16b81a19a8c045b8660, 7bddac8603d4e396872c2fbf4403ec08e7b1d7c8, or d2a9a92bb4cc7568cff68241b0051dc7268bdc68

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5578ab04bd7732f470fc614bbc0a924900399fb8

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commits. 2. For distributions: Use package manager to update kernel package. 3. Reboot system to load new kernel.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable max20086 driver

linux

Prevent loading of the vulnerable driver module

echo 'blacklist max20086' > /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-max20086.conf
rmmod max20086

Prevent device probing failure

linux

Ensure max20086 hardware is properly configured to avoid probe failure

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Disable or remove max20086 hardware from affected systems
Implement system monitoring for kernel crashes related to regulator failures

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check if max20086 driver is loaded: lsmod | grep max20086. Check kernel version against affected versions.

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version includes fix commits. Check dmesg for absence of 'kobject_put() is being called' errors related to max20086.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

dmesg entries: 'kobject_put() is being called'
max20086 probe failure messages
kernel stack traces involving of_regulator_match

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("max20086" OR "kobject_put() is being called" OR "of_regulator_match")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2025-38027

CVSS v3 Score: 7.1 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H

CWE: CWE-125

EPSS Score: 0.01% exploit probability (1.2th percentile)

Published: June 18, 2025

Last Updated: December 18, 2025

🔗 References

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