# CVE-2025-37990: wifi: brcm80211: fmac: Add error handling for brcmf_usb_dl_writeimage()

> A missing error check in the Broadcom Wi-Fi USB driver allows uninitialized variables to be used, potentially causing a kernel crash or denial of service.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 20 May 2025
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2025-37990, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-37990, GHSA-fhrm-6xxc-qc49, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2025-37990, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2025-37990, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2025-37990, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-37990, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-37990

## What is CVE-2025-37990?

CVE-2025-37990 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 20 May 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

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

wifi: brcm80211: fmac: Add error handling for brcmf_usb_dl_writeimage()

The function brcmf_usb_dl_writeimage() calls the function
brcmf_usb_dl_cmd() but dose not check its return value. The
'state.state' and the 'state.bytes' are uninitialized if the
function brcmf_usb_dl_cmd() fails. It is dangerous to use
uninitialized variables in the conditions.

Add error handling for brcmf_usb_dl_cmd() to jump to error
handling path if the brcmf_usb_dl_cmd() fails and the
'state.state' and the 'state.bytes' are uninitialized.

Improve the error message to report more detailed error
information.

Weakness: CWE-908 (Use of Uninitialized Resource)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-37990?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Debian Debian Linux, Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-37990?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-37990 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-37990 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Debian Debian Linux

- [CVE-2015-3306](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-3306/): ProFTPD Improper Access Control (critical 10.0, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-49113](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-49113/): RoundCube Webmail Deserialization of Untrusted Data (critical 9.9, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-24061](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-24061/): GNU InetUtils Argument Injection (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-39682](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-39682/): Linux Kernel Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-9680](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-9680/): Mozilla Firefox Use-After-Free (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-37990 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-37990 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 20 May 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-37990 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Debian Debian Linux. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-37990/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-37990/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-37990
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-37990
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-37990

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-37990/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.