CVE-2025-38081
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes an out-of-bounds memory access vulnerability in the Linux kernel's SPI driver for Rockchip systems. The vulnerability occurs when using GPIO chip selects, allowing potential kernel memory corruption. It affects Linux systems with Rockchip hardware using the spi-rockchip driver.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with spi-rockchip driver
📦 What is this software?
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, system crash, or potential privilege escalation leading to full system compromise.
Likely Case
System instability, crashes, or denial of service affecting SPI-connected devices.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if SPI functionality is not critical or if affected driver is not loaded.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires local access and ability to interact with SPI hardware. Memory corruption could potentially lead to privilege escalation.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Linux kernel versions containing commits: 254e04ec799c1ff8c1e2bd08a57c6a849895d6ff, 4a120221661fcecb253448d7b041a52d47f1d91f, 7a874e8b54ea21094f7fd2d428b164394c6cb316, ace57bd1fb49d193edec5f6a1f255f48dd5fca90
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/254e04ec799c1ff8c1e2bd08a57c6a849895d6ff
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commits. 2. Reboot system. 3. Verify driver is loaded with patched version.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable GPIO chip selects
linuxConfigure SPI devices to use native chip selects instead of GPIO chip selects
Modify device tree or kernel configuration to use native CS
Unload spi-rockchip driver
linuxRemove the vulnerable driver if SPI functionality is not required
rmmod spi_rockchip
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict physical access to systems with Rockchip hardware
- Implement strict access controls and monitoring for SPI-related operations
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if spi-rockchip driver is loaded and kernel version is before fixes: 'lsmod | grep spi_rockchip' and 'uname -r'Check Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version includes fix commits and driver loads without errors📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel oops messages
- SPI driver errors
- System crashes related to SPI operations
Network Indicators:
- None - local hardware vulnerability
SIEM Query:
search 'kernel:.*spi-rockchip.*error' OR 'kernel:.*Oops'