# CVE-2025-38027: regulator: max20086: fix invalid memory access

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel max20086 regulator driver allows attackers to cause a denial of service via invalid memory access during device probing.

- **Severity:** High 7.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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:** 18 Jun 2025
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2025-38027, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-38027, GHSA-53c4-pm56-gg9x, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2025-38027, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-38027, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-38027

## What is CVE-2025-38027?

CVE-2025-38027 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 18 Jun 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:

regulator: max20086: fix invalid memory access

max20086_parse_regulators_dt() calls of_regulator_match() using an
array of struct of_regulator_match allocated on the stack for the
matches argument.

of_regulator_match() calls devm_of_regulator_put_matches(), which calls
devres_alloc() to allocate a struct devm_of_regulator_matches which will
be de-allocated using devm_of_regulator_put_matches().

struct devm_of_regulator_matches is populated with the stack allocated
matches array.

If the device fails to probe, devm_of_regulator_put_matches() will be
called and will try to call of_node_put() on that stack pointer,
generating the following dmesg entries:

max20086 6-0028: Failed to read DEVICE_ID reg: -121
kobject: '\xc0$\xa5\x03' (000000002cebcb7a): is not initialized, yet
kobject_put() is being called.

Followed by a stack trace matching the call flow described above.

Switch to allocating the matches array using devm_kcalloc() to
avoid accessing the stack pointer long after it's out of scope.

This also has the advantage of allowing multiple max20086 to probe
without overriding the data stored inside the global of_regulator_match.

Weakness: CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38027?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Debian Debian Linux, Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-38027?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-38027 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38027 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-2025-38027 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-38027 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 18 Jun 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-2025-38027 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-2025-38027/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38027/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-38027
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-38027
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-38027

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38027/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.