CVE-2025-38228
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's Imagination media driver. If the e5010_probe() function fails during device initialization, it doesn't properly release memory allocated by video_device_alloc(), potentially leading to resource exhaustion. This affects Linux systems using the Imagination media driver.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with Imagination media 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 →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Sustained exploitation could lead to kernel memory exhaustion, causing system instability, denial of service, or potential kernel crashes.
Likely Case
Memory leak during device probe failures, gradually consuming kernel memory until system becomes unstable or requires reboot.
If Mitigated
Minor performance impact during device initialization failures with proper memory management.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires triggering device probe failure conditions, which may be hardware-specific or require driver manipulation.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Kernel versions containing commits 2a2bd7df402decbdefd0acb64ba4e17a0a2a4117, 609ba05b9484856b08869f827a6edee51d51b5f3, or fac3b9a91fa099d9bad29648127c0328d6c478c3
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2a2bd7df402decbdefd0acb64ba4e17a0a2a4117
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to patched version from your distribution. 2. Reboot system to load new kernel. 3. Verify kernel version after reboot.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Imagination media driver
linuxPrevent loading of vulnerable driver module
echo 'blacklist imagination_media' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
rmmod imagination_media
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Monitor system memory usage for unusual increases
- Restrict access to users who could trigger device initialization
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if Imagination media driver is loaded: lsmod | grep imagination_mediaCheck Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Check kernel version contains fix commits or is newer than vulnerable versions📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel oops messages related to memory allocation
- System logs showing memory pressure warnings
Network Indicators:
- None - local vulnerability only
SIEM Query:
kernel: *memory allocation failure* OR kernel: *Out of memory*