CVE-2025-38300
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a memory management vulnerability in the Linux kernel's sun8i-ce-cipher crypto driver. The flaw allows improper DMA cleanup on error paths, potentially causing kernel warnings or crashes. Systems using Allwinner H3/H5/H6 SoCs with affected kernel versions are vulnerable.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with sun8i-ce-cipher 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 →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 or system crash leading to denial of service, potentially disrupting crypto operations on affected hardware.
Likely Case
Kernel warning messages in dmesg and potential instability in cryptographic operations using the sun8i-ce-cipher driver.
If Mitigated
Minor performance impact from error handling overhead with no security compromise.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires ability to trigger specific error conditions in the crypto driver, typically through local access or malicious crypto operations.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Fixed in kernel stable trees via commits referenced in CVE
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/19d267d9fad00d94ad8477899e38ed7c11f33fb6
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to version containing fixes. 2. Reboot system. 3. Verify driver loads without warnings.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable sun8i-ce-cipher module
linuxPrevent loading of vulnerable driver module
echo 'blacklist sun8i-ce-cipher' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
rmmod sun8i-ce-cipher
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Monitor kernel logs for DMA-API warnings related to sun8i-ce-cipher
- Restrict local user access to systems with vulnerable hardware
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if sun8i-ce-cipher module is loaded and kernel version is vulnerable: lsmod | grep sun8i_ce_cipher && uname -rCheck Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Check kernel logs for absence of DMA-API warnings: dmesg | grep -i 'sun8i-ce.*DMA-API'📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- DMA-API: sun8i-ce warnings in kernel logs
- check_unmap errors in dmesg
Network Indicators:
- None - local vulnerability only
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND "sun8i-ce" AND ("DMA-API" OR "check_unmap")🔗 References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/19d267d9fad00d94ad8477899e38ed7c11f33fb6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4051250e5db489f8ad65fc337e2677b9b568ac72
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a0ac3f85b2e3ef529e852f252a70311f9029d5e6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c62b79c1c51303dbcb6edfa4de0ee176f4934c52
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f31adc3e356f7350d4a4d68c98d3f60f2f6e26b3
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/10/msg00008.html
