CVE-2025-38655
📋 TL;DR
A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability exists in the Canaan K230 pinctrl driver in the Linux kernel. If a device tree node lacks the 'pinmux' property, the system could crash or become unstable. This affects systems using the Canaan K230 SoC with vulnerable kernel versions.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with Canaan K230 pinctrl 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
Kernel panic leading to system crash and denial of service, potentially requiring physical intervention to restart.
Likely Case
System instability or crash when parsing malformed or incomplete device tree configurations.
If Mitigated
No impact if the device tree is properly configured with required properties.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires ability to modify device tree or trigger specific hardware initialization paths.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Kernel versions containing the fix commits
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5d324b262c0ff256b8d603596574d66267b6394f
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update to a kernel version containing the fix commits. 2. Rebuild kernel if using custom builds. 3. Reboot system to load patched kernel.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Ensure device tree completeness
allVerify all device tree nodes for Canaan K230 have required 'pinmux' properties
grep -r 'pinmux' /proc/device-tree/
check device tree source files for completeness
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Avoid using or deploying systems with Canaan K230 SoC until patched
- Implement strict access controls to prevent device tree modification
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and verify if Canaan K230 pinctrl driver is loaded: 'lsmod | grep pinctrl_canaan' and 'uname -r'Check Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version includes fix commits: 'git log --oneline | grep -E "5d324b2|65bd0be|b5ae84a"'📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel panic messages
- NULL pointer dereference errors in dmesg
- System crash logs
Network Indicators:
- Sudden loss of connectivity from affected device
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("NULL pointer" OR "panic" OR "oops") AND "pinctrl"