CVE-2025-38613
📋 TL;DR
This CVE involves an information disclosure vulnerability in the Linux kernel's GPIB (General Purpose Interface Bus) staging driver. Uninitialized padding fields in the gpib_board_info_ioctl struct can leak kernel stack memory to userspace when the board_info_ioctl function copies data back. Systems using the GPIB driver in staging are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel
📦 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 →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Kernel memory disclosure could reveal sensitive information like encryption keys, passwords, or other process data, potentially enabling further attacks.
Likely Case
Limited information disclosure of kernel stack memory, which may contain random data or fragments from previous operations.
If Mitigated
No impact if the GPIB driver is not loaded or the vulnerable ioctl is not used.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires local access and ability to call the vulnerable ioctl; exploitation depends on what data is in uninitialized memory.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Kernel versions with commits 19dedd4f70f5a6505e7c601ef7dd40542d1d9aa5 or a739d3b13bff0dfa1aec679d08c7062131a2a425
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/19dedd4f70f5a6505e7c601ef7dd40542d1d9aa5
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to patched version. 2. Reboot system to load new kernel. 3. Verify GPIB driver is not exposing uninitialized data.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable GPIB staging driver
LinuxPrevent loading of the vulnerable driver module
modprobe -r gpib
echo 'blacklist gpib' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict access to GPIB devices to trusted users only
- Monitor for unusual ioctl calls to GPIB driver
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if GPIB driver is loaded: lsmod | grep gpib; check kernel version against patched commits.Check Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version includes fix commits; test that gpib_board_info_ioctl no longer leaks uninitialized data.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel logs showing GPIB driver activity
- Audit logs for ioctl calls to GPIB devices
Network Indicators:
- Not applicable - local vulnerability
SIEM Query:
process.name="*" AND syscall.name="ioctl" AND device.path="/dev/gpib*"