CVE-2025-38218
CVE-2025-38218 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux Linux Kernel with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low.
Key facts
- Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.5)
- EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (4th percentile)
- Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
- EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2025-20038
- Affected product: Linux Linux Kernel
- Published:
- Last modified:
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: f2fs: fix to do sanity check on sit_bitmap_size w/ below testcase, resize will generate a corrupted image which contains inconsistent metadata, so when mounting such image, it will trigger kernel panic: touch img truncate -s $((512*1024*1024*1024)) img mkfs.f2fs -f img $((256*1024*1024)) resize.f2fs -s -i img -t $((1024*1024*1024)) mount img /mnt/f2fs ------------[ cut here ]------------ kernel BUG at fs/f2fs/segment.h:863! Oops: invalid opcode: 0000 [#1] SMP PTI CPU: 11 UID: 0 PID: 3922 Comm: mount Not tainted 6.15.0-rc1+ #191 PREEMPT(voluntary) Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.16.3-debian-1.16.3-2 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:f2fs_ra_meta_pages+0x47c/0x490 Call Trace: f2fs_build_segment_manager+0x11c3/0x2600 f2fs_fill_super+0xe97/0x2840 mount_bdev+0xf4/0x140 legacy_get_tree+0x2b/0x50 vfs_get_tree+0x29/0xd0 path_mount+0x487/0xaf0 __x64_sys_mount+0x116/0x150 do_syscall_64+0x82/0x190 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e RIP: 0033:0x7fdbfde1bcfe The reaseon is: sit_i->bitmap_size is 192, so size of sit bitmap is 192*8=1536, at maximum there are 1536 sit blocks, however MAIN_SEGS is 261893, so that sit_blk_cnt is 4762, build_sit_entries() -> current_sit_addr() tries to access out-of-boundary in sit_bitmap at offset from [1536, 4762), once sit_bitmap and sit_bitmap_mirror is not the same, it will trigger f2fs_bug_on(). Let's add sanity check in f2fs_sanity_check_ckpt() to avoid panic.
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2025-38218?
- In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: f2fs: fix to do sanity check on sit_bitmap_size w/ below testcase, resize will generate a corrupted image which contains inconsistent metadata, so when mounting such image, it will trigger kernel panic: touch img truncate -s $((512*1024*1024*1024)) img mkfs.f2fs -f img $((256*1024*1024)) resize.f2fs -s -i img -t $((1024*1024*1024)) mount img /mnt/f2fs ------------[ cut here ]------------ kernel BUG at fs/f2fs/segment.h:863! Oops: invalid opcode: 0000 [#1] SMP PTI CPU: 11 UID: 0 PID: 3922 Comm: mount Not tainted 6.15.0-rc1+ #191 PREEMPT(voluntary) Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.16.3-debian-1.16.3-2 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:f2fs_ra_meta_pages+0x47c/0x490 Call Trace: f2fs_build_segment_manager+0x11c3/0x2600 f2fs_fill_super+0xe97/0x2840 mount_bdev+0xf4/0x140 legacy_get_tree+0x2b/0x50 vfs_get_tree+0x29/0xd0 path_mount+0x487/0xaf0 __x64_sys_mount+0x116/0x150 do_syscall_64+0x82/0x190 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e RIP: 0033:0x7fdbfde1bcfe The reaseon is: sit_i->bitmap_size is 192, so size of sit bitmap is 192*8=1536, at maximum there are 1536 sit blocks, however MAIN_SEGS is 261893, so that sit_blk_cnt is 4762, build_sit_entries() -> current_sit_addr() tries to access out-of-boundary in sit_bitmap at offset from [1536, 4762), once sit_bitmap and sit_bitmap_mirror is not the same, it will trigger f2fs_bug_on(). Let's add sanity check in f2fs_sanity_check_ckpt() to avoid panic.
- How severe is CVE-2025-38218?
- CVE-2025-38218 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
- Is CVE-2025-38218 being actively exploited?
- It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (4th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
- What products are affected by CVE-2025-38218?
- CVE-2025-38218 primarily affects Linux Linux Kernel. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
- How do I fix CVE-2025-38218?
- Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
- Does CVE-2025-38218 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?
- Yes. CVE-2025-38218 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2025-20038.
- When was CVE-2025-38218 published?
- CVE-2025-38218 was published on 2025-07-04 and last updated on 2026-06-17.
References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/38ef48a8afef8df646b6f6ae7abb872f18b533c1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3e5ac62a56a24f4d88ce8ffd7bc452428b235868
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5db0d252c64e91ba1929c70112352e85dc5751e7
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/79ef8a6c4ec53d327580fd7d2b522cf4f1d05b0c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/82f51bff393e4c12cf4de553120ca831cfa4ef19
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ad862f71016ba38039df1c96ed55c0a4314cc183
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ee1b421c469876544e297ec1090574bd76100247
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/10/msg00007.html
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/10/msg00008.html
Affected products (2)
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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