Medium severity · published Sep 5, 2025
CVE-2025-39684
comedi: Fix use of uninitialized memory in do_insn_ioctl() and do_insnlist_ioctl()
5.5
CVSS
0.2%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
comedi: Fix use of uninitialized memory in do_insn_ioctl() and do_insnlist_ioctl()
syzbot reports a KMSAN kernel-infoleak in `do_insn_ioctl()`. A kernel
buffer is allocated to hold `insn->n` samples (each of which is an
`unsigned int`). For some instruction types, `insn->n` samples are
copied back to user-space, unless an error code is being returned. The
problem is that not all the instruction handlers that need to return
data to userspace fill in the whole `insn->n` samples, so that there is
an information leak. There is a similar syzbot report for
`do_insnlist_ioctl()`, although it does not have a reproducer for it at
the time of writing.
One culprit is `insn_rw_emulate_bits()` which is used as the handler for
`INSN_READ` or `INSN_WRITE` instructions for subdevices that do not have
a specific handler for that instruction, but do have an `INSN_BITS`
handler. For `INSN_READ` it only fills in at most 1 sample, so if
`insn->n` is greater than 1, the remaining `insn->n - 1` samples copied
to userspace will be uninitialized kernel data.
Another culprit is `vm80xx_ai_insn_read()` in the "vm80xx" driver. It
never returns an error, even if it fails to fill the buffer.
Fix it in `do_insn_ioctl()` and `do_insnlist_ioctl()` by making sure
that uninitialized parts of the allocated buffer are zeroed before
handling each instruction.
Thanks to Arnaud Lecomte for their fix to `do_insn_ioctl()`. That fix
replaced the call to `kmalloc_array()` with `kcalloc()`, but it is not
always necessary to clear the whole buffer.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High
Scope
Unchanged
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.2% · higher than 7% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
KE
Kernel · Linux
2.6.29 before 5.15.190; 5.16 before 6.1.149; 6.2 before 6.6.103; 6.7 before 6.12.44; 6.13 before 6.16.4; 6.17; +1 more · source: NVD
LI
Linux · Linux
ed9eccbe8970f6eedc1b978c157caf1251a896d4 before 868a1b68dcd9f2805bb86aa64862402f785d8c4a; ed9eccbe8970f6eedc1b978c157caf1251a896d4 before ff4a7c18799c7fe999fa56c5cf276e13866b8c1a; ed9eccbe8970f6eedc1b978c157caf1251a896d4 before d84f6e77ebe3359394df32ecd97e0d76a25283dc; ed9eccbe8970f6eedc1b978c157caf1251a896d4 before f3b0c9ec54736f3b8118f93a473d22e11ee65743; ed9eccbe8970f6eedc1b978c157caf1251a896d4 before aecf0d557ddd95ce68193a5ee1dc4c87415ff08a; ed9eccbe8970f6eedc1b978c157caf1251a896d4 before 3cd212e895ca2d58963fdc6422502b10dd3966bb; +1 more · source: vendor
DL
Debian Linux · Debian
11.0 · source: NVD
SC
SIMATIC CN 4100 · Siemens
before V5.0 · source: CISA
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-39684
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-39684
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3cd212e895ca2d58963fdc6422502b10dd3966bb
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/868a1b68dcd9f2805bb86aa64862402f785d8c4a
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/aecf0d557ddd95ce68193a5ee1dc4c87415ff08a
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d84f6e77ebe3359394df32ecd97e0d76a25283dc
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f3b0c9ec54736f3b8118f93a473d22e11ee65743
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ff4a7c18799c7fe999fa56c5cf276e13866b8c1a
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