Vulnerability-Lookup

GHSA-MFMJ-296R-5FQR

Vulnerability from github – Published: 2025-07-04 15:31 – Updated: 2025-11-18 18:32

Details

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

powerpc64/ftrace: fix clobbered r15 during livepatching

While r15 is clobbered always with PPC_FTRACE_OUT_OF_LINE, it is not restored in livepatch sequence leading to not so obvious fails like below:

BUG: Unable to handle kernel data access on write at 0xc0000000000f9078 Faulting instruction address: 0xc0000000018ff958 Oops: Kernel access of bad area, sig: 11 [#1] ... NIP: c0000000018ff958 LR: c0000000018ff930 CTR: c0000000009c0790 REGS: c00000005f2e7790 TRAP: 0300 Tainted: G K (6.14.0+) MSR: 8000000000009033 CR: 2822880b XER: 20040000 CFAR: c0000000008addc0 DAR: c0000000000f9078 DSISR: 0a000000 IRQMASK: 1 GPR00: c0000000018f2584 c00000005f2e7a30 c00000000280a900 c000000017ffa488 GPR04: 0000000000000008 0000000000000000 c0000000018f24fc 000000000000000d GPR08: fffffffffffe0000 000000000000000d 0000000000000000 0000000000008000 GPR12: c0000000009c0790 c000000017ffa480 c00000005f2e7c78 c0000000000f9070 GPR16: c00000005f2e7c90 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 GPR20: 0000000000000000 c00000005f3efa80 c00000005f2e7c60 c00000005f2e7c88 GPR24: c00000005f2e7c60 0000000000000001 c0000000000f9078 0000000000000000 GPR28: 00007fff97960000 c000000017ffa480 0000000000000000 c0000000000f9078 ... Call Trace: check_heap_object+0x34/0x390 (unreliable) __mutex_unlock_slowpath.isra.0+0xe4/0x230 seq_read_iter+0x430/0xa90 proc_reg_read_iter+0xa4/0x200 vfs_read+0x41c/0x510 ksys_read+0xa4/0x190 system_call_exception+0x1d0/0x440 system_call_vectored_common+0x15c/0x2ec

Fix it by restoring r15 always.

Severity

7.8 (High)


                  
                    CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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{
  "affected": [],
  "aliases": [
    "CVE-2025-38233"
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "cwe_ids": [],
    "github_reviewed": false,
    "github_reviewed_at": null,
    "nvd_published_at": "2025-07-04T14:15:32Z",
    "severity": "HIGH"
  },
  "details": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\npowerpc64/ftrace: fix clobbered r15 during livepatching\n\nWhile r15 is clobbered always with PPC_FTRACE_OUT_OF_LINE, it is\nnot restored in livepatch sequence leading to not so obvious fails\nlike below:\n\n  BUG: Unable to handle kernel data access on write at 0xc0000000000f9078\n  Faulting instruction address: 0xc0000000018ff958\n  Oops: Kernel access of bad area, sig: 11 [#1]\n  ...\n  NIP:  c0000000018ff958 LR: c0000000018ff930 CTR: c0000000009c0790\n  REGS: c00000005f2e7790 TRAP: 0300   Tainted: G              K      (6.14.0+)\n  MSR:  8000000000009033 \u003cSF,EE,ME,IR,DR,RI,LE\u003e  CR: 2822880b  XER: 20040000\n  CFAR: c0000000008addc0 DAR: c0000000000f9078 DSISR: 0a000000 IRQMASK: 1\n  GPR00: c0000000018f2584 c00000005f2e7a30 c00000000280a900 c000000017ffa488\n  GPR04: 0000000000000008 0000000000000000 c0000000018f24fc 000000000000000d\n  GPR08: fffffffffffe0000 000000000000000d 0000000000000000 0000000000008000\n  GPR12: c0000000009c0790 c000000017ffa480 c00000005f2e7c78 c0000000000f9070\n  GPR16: c00000005f2e7c90 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 0000000000000000\n  GPR20: 0000000000000000 c00000005f3efa80 c00000005f2e7c60 c00000005f2e7c88\n  GPR24: c00000005f2e7c60 0000000000000001 c0000000000f9078 0000000000000000\n  GPR28: 00007fff97960000 c000000017ffa480 0000000000000000 c0000000000f9078\n  ...\n  Call Trace:\n    check_heap_object+0x34/0x390 (unreliable)\n  __mutex_unlock_slowpath.isra.0+0xe4/0x230\n  seq_read_iter+0x430/0xa90\n  proc_reg_read_iter+0xa4/0x200\n  vfs_read+0x41c/0x510\n  ksys_read+0xa4/0x190\n  system_call_exception+0x1d0/0x440\n  system_call_vectored_common+0x15c/0x2ec\n\nFix it by restoring r15 always.",
  "id": "GHSA-mfmj-296r-5fqr",
  "modified": "2025-11-18T18:32:47Z",
  "published": "2025-07-04T15:31:10Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-38233"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a9212bf5ca640232254b31330e86272fe4073bc9"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cb5b691f8273432297611863ac142e17119279e0"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.4.0",
  "severity": [
    {
      "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
      "type": "CVSS_V3"
    }
  ]
}

CVE-2025-38233 (GCVE-0-2025-38233)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2025-07-04 13:37 – Updated: 2026-08-05 12:00

Title

powerpc64/ftrace: fix clobbered r15 during livepatching

Summary

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: powerpc64/ftrace: fix clobbered r15 during livepatching While r15 is clobbered always with PPC_FTRACE_OUT_OF_LINE, it is not restored in livepatch sequence leading to not so obvious fails like below: BUG: Unable to handle kernel data access on write at 0xc0000000000f9078 Faulting instruction address: 0xc0000000018ff958 Oops: Kernel access of bad area, sig: 11 [#1] ... NIP: c0000000018ff958 LR: c0000000018ff930 CTR: c0000000009c0790 REGS: c00000005f2e7790 TRAP: 0300 Tainted: G K (6.14.0+) MSR: 8000000000009033 <SF,EE,ME,IR,DR,RI,LE> CR: 2822880b XER: 20040000 CFAR: c0000000008addc0 DAR: c0000000000f9078 DSISR: 0a000000 IRQMASK: 1 GPR00: c0000000018f2584 c00000005f2e7a30 c00000000280a900 c000000017ffa488 GPR04: 0000000000000008 0000000000000000 c0000000018f24fc 000000000000000d GPR08: fffffffffffe0000 000000000000000d 0000000000000000 0000000000008000 GPR12: c0000000009c0790 c000000017ffa480 c00000005f2e7c78 c0000000000f9070 GPR16: c00000005f2e7c90 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 GPR20: 0000000000000000 c00000005f3efa80 c00000005f2e7c60 c00000005f2e7c88 GPR24: c00000005f2e7c60 0000000000000001 c0000000000f9078 0000000000000000 GPR28: 00007fff97960000 c000000017ffa480 0000000000000000 c0000000000f9078 ... Call Trace: check_heap_object+0x34/0x390 (unreliable) __mutex_unlock_slowpath.isra.0+0xe4/0x230 seq_read_iter+0x430/0xa90 proc_reg_read_iter+0xa4/0x200 vfs_read+0x41c/0x510 ksys_read+0xa4/0x190 system_call_exception+0x1d0/0x440 system_call_vectored_common+0x15c/0x2ec Fix it by restoring r15 always.

Severity

7.8 (High)


                        
                          CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Assigner

Linux mitre root

References

2 references

URL	Tags
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a9212bf5ca6402322…
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cb5b691f827343229…

Impacted products

2 products

Vendor	Product	Version
Linux	Linux	Affected: eec37961a56aa4f3fe1c33ffd48eec7d1bb0c009 , < a9212bf5ca640232254b31330e86272fe4073bc9 (git) Affected: eec37961a56aa4f3fe1c33ffd48eec7d1bb0c009 , < cb5b691f8273432297611863ac142e17119279e0 (git)
Linux	Linux	Affected: 6.13 Unaffected: 0 , < 6.13 (semver) Unaffected: 6.15.4 , ≤ 6.15.* (semver) Unaffected: 6.16 , ≤ * (original_commit_for_fix)

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{
  "containers": {
    "cna": {
      "affected": [
        {
          "defaultStatus": "unaffected",
          "product": "Linux",
          "programFiles": [
            "arch/powerpc/kernel/trace/ftrace_entry.S"
          ],
          "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
          "vendor": "Linux",
          "versions": [
            {
              "lessThan": "a9212bf5ca640232254b31330e86272fe4073bc9",
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "eec37961a56aa4f3fe1c33ffd48eec7d1bb0c009",
              "versionType": "git"
            },
            {
              "lessThan": "cb5b691f8273432297611863ac142e17119279e0",
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "eec37961a56aa4f3fe1c33ffd48eec7d1bb0c009",
              "versionType": "git"
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "defaultStatus": "affected",
          "product": "Linux",
          "programFiles": [
            "arch/powerpc/kernel/trace/ftrace_entry.S"
          ],
          "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
          "vendor": "Linux",
          "versions": [
            {
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "6.13"
            },
            {
              "lessThan": "6.13",
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "0",
              "versionType": "semver"
            },
            {
              "lessThanOrEqual": "6.15.*",
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "6.15.4",
              "versionType": "semver"
            },
            {
              "lessThanOrEqual": "*",
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "6.16",
              "versionType": "original_commit_for_fix"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "cpeApplicability": [
        {
          "nodes": [
            {
              "cpeMatch": [
                {
                  "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                  "versionEndExcluding": "6.15.4",
                  "versionStartIncluding": "6.13",
                  "vulnerable": true
                },
                {
                  "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                  "versionEndExcluding": "6.16",
                  "versionStartIncluding": "6.13",
                  "vulnerable": true
                }
              ],
              "negate": false,
              "operator": "OR"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "descriptions": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\npowerpc64/ftrace: fix clobbered r15 during livepatching\n\nWhile r15 is clobbered always with PPC_FTRACE_OUT_OF_LINE, it is\nnot restored in livepatch sequence leading to not so obvious fails\nlike below:\n\n  BUG: Unable to handle kernel data access on write at 0xc0000000000f9078\n  Faulting instruction address: 0xc0000000018ff958\n  Oops: Kernel access of bad area, sig: 11 [#1]\n  ...\n  NIP:  c0000000018ff958 LR: c0000000018ff930 CTR: c0000000009c0790\n  REGS: c00000005f2e7790 TRAP: 0300   Tainted: G              K      (6.14.0+)\n  MSR:  8000000000009033 \u003cSF,EE,ME,IR,DR,RI,LE\u003e  CR: 2822880b  XER: 20040000\n  CFAR: c0000000008addc0 DAR: c0000000000f9078 DSISR: 0a000000 IRQMASK: 1\n  GPR00: c0000000018f2584 c00000005f2e7a30 c00000000280a900 c000000017ffa488\n  GPR04: 0000000000000008 0000000000000000 c0000000018f24fc 000000000000000d\n  GPR08: fffffffffffe0000 000000000000000d 0000000000000000 0000000000008000\n  GPR12: c0000000009c0790 c000000017ffa480 c00000005f2e7c78 c0000000000f9070\n  GPR16: c00000005f2e7c90 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 0000000000000000\n  GPR20: 0000000000000000 c00000005f3efa80 c00000005f2e7c60 c00000005f2e7c88\n  GPR24: c00000005f2e7c60 0000000000000001 c0000000000f9078 0000000000000000\n  GPR28: 00007fff97960000 c000000017ffa480 0000000000000000 c0000000000f9078\n  ...\n  Call Trace:\n    check_heap_object+0x34/0x390 (unreliable)\n  __mutex_unlock_slowpath.isra.0+0xe4/0x230\n  seq_read_iter+0x430/0xa90\n  proc_reg_read_iter+0xa4/0x200\n  vfs_read+0x41c/0x510\n  ksys_read+0xa4/0x190\n  system_call_exception+0x1d0/0x440\n  system_call_vectored_common+0x15c/0x2ec\n\nFix it by restoring r15 always."
        }
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "cvssV3_1": {
            "baseScore": 7.8,
            "baseSeverity": "HIGH",
            "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
            "version": "3.1"
          },
          "scenarios": [
            {
              "lang": "en",
              "value": "AV:L - The corrupted register is consumed by ordinary kernel code paths entered through local syscalls \u2014 the reported oops comes from a plain read(2) on a procfs file (`ksys_read \u2192 vfs_read \u2192 seq_read_iter`). No network protocol handler is inherently involved; reaching the defect requires executing kernel code on the machine.\nAC:L - With a livepatch active, the missing `REST_GPR(15, r1)` executes on 100% of calls to any patched function \u2014 no race, no memory-layout dependency, no timing window. The enabling configuration (ppc64le with `PPC_FTRACE_OUT_OF_LINE` + `LIVEPATCH`) is the default shipping state on enterprise ppc64le distros that offer live patching.\nPR:L - Triggering needs nothing more than invoking a syscall that reaches a livepatched function; the reproducer is an unprivileged `read()` on /proc. The livepatch itself is loaded by the administrator as routine maintenance, not as an attacker step, so the attacker only needs an ordinary local account.\nUI:N - Once a livepatch is applied \u2014 the normal steady state of a live-patched server \u2014 no victim action of any kind is required; the attacker simply calls into a patched function.\nS:U - The clobbered non-volatile register corrupts the kernel\u0027s own execution state within the same security authority; no hypervisor, IOMMU, or sandbox boundary is crossed.\nC:H - The caller chain resumes with r15 silently replaced by a kernel `.text` stub address, so any function using r15 as a pointer, index, or length operates on corrupted state \u2014 on read/usercopy paths (`seq_read_iter`, `check_heap_object` in the reported trace) this can steer kernel memory into a user buffer, and the injected value itself is a live kernel text address that defeats KASLR if it reaches userspace.\nI:H - This is genuine kernel memory corruption with write effect \u2014 the reported failure is a faulting *store* to an address derived from the clobbered register, from inside `__mutex_unlock_slowpath` operating on a corrupt mutex pointer. Corrupting a callee-saved register in arbitrary kernel functions yields uncontrolled writes and corrupted locking/data structures that can be leveraged for control-flow-relevant damage.\nA:H - The demonstrated result is an immediate kernel oops (\"Unable to handle kernel data access on write\", sig 11), and because the corruption recurs on every call to a patched function it is trivially repeatable until the system panics or hangs on corrupted lock state."
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "providerMetadata": {
        "dateUpdated": "2026-08-05T12:00:33.319Z",
        "orgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
        "shortName": "Linux"
      },
      "references": [
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a9212bf5ca640232254b31330e86272fe4073bc9"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cb5b691f8273432297611863ac142e17119279e0"
        }
      ],
      "title": "powerpc64/ftrace: fix clobbered r15 during livepatching",
      "x_generator": {
        "engine": "bippy-1.2.0"
      }
    }
  },
  "cveMetadata": {
    "assignerOrgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
    "assignerShortName": "Linux",
    "cveId": "CVE-2025-38233",
    "datePublished": "2025-07-04T13:37:46.293Z",
    "dateReserved": "2025-04-16T04:51:23.996Z",
    "dateUpdated": "2026-08-05T12:00:33.319Z",
    "state": "PUBLISHED"
  },
  "dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
  "dataVersion": "5.2"
}

Sightings

Author	Source	Type	Date	Other

Nomenclature

Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
Exploited: The vulnerability was observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.

Detection rules are retrieved from Rulezet.

The MITRE ATT&CK techniques below are AI-generated suggestions, inferred from the description of the vulnerability by the CIRCL/vulnerability-attack-technique-classification-roberta-base model, served locally by ML-Gateway. They have not been verified by an analyst and are provided for guidance only.
The approach is described in our paper Mapping CVEs to MITRE ATT&CK Techniques: A Curated Gold-Set Classifier and the Limits of LLM-Assisted Label Expansion.
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