CVE-2025-5745
📋 TL;DR
A Power10-specific optimization bug in GNU C Library's strncmp function corrupts non-volatile vector registers, potentially altering program control flow or leaking sensitive string data. This affects systems running glibc 2.40+ on PowerPC64 Little Endian architecture with Power10 processors. The vulnerability requires local access to exploit.
💻 Affected Systems
- GNU C Library (glibc)
📦 What is this software?
Glibc by Gnu
The GNU C Library (glibc) is the core C library for Linux systems, providing essential system calls and basic functions for all C programs. It is a fundamental component that nearly every Linux application depends on.
Learn more about Glibc →Glibc by Gnu
The GNU C Library (glibc) is the core C library for Linux systems, providing essential system calls and basic functions for all C programs. It is a fundamental component that nearly every Linux application depends on.
Learn more about Glibc →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Privilege escalation, arbitrary code execution, or sensitive data leakage from memory corruption and control flow manipulation.
Likely Case
Application crashes, data corruption, or information disclosure of strings passed to strncmp functions.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper privilege separation and minimal use of affected strncmp functions.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires understanding of PowerPC64LE ABI and vector register usage. Attackers need local access to trigger vulnerable strncmp calls.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: glibc 2.41 or patched 2.40 versions
Vendor Advisory: https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=33060
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update glibc to version 2.41 or apply vendor patches. 2. Restart affected services. 3. Reboot system to ensure all processes use patched library.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Power10 strncmp optimization
linuxRecompile applications with -mno-power10-vector flag to avoid using vulnerable optimization
gcc -mno-power10-vector -o program program.c
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict local user access to minimize attack surface
- Monitor for abnormal application crashes or memory corruption in PowerPC64LE systems
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check glibc version and CPU architecture: ldd --version | grep 'ldd' and cat /proc/cpuinfo | grep -i power10Check Version:
ldd --version | head -1Verify Fix Applied:
Verify glibc version is 2.41+ or check for patched 2.40 version from vendor📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application segmentation faults
- Unexpected memory access errors in PowerPC64LE systems
Network Indicators:
- None - local vulnerability only
SIEM Query:
source="system_logs" AND ("segmentation fault" OR "SIGSEGV") AND host_arch="ppc64le"