# CVE-2025-38033: x86/Kconfig: make CFI_AUTO_DEFAULT depend on !RUST or Rust >= 1.88

> A kernel panic occurs when Rust code calls core::fmt::write() with FineIBT enabled, causing a 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:** 18 Jun 2025
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2025-38033, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-38033, ECHO-0851-4d85-a544, GHSA-gxj3-8g3m-8hpw, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2025-38033, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-38033, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-38033

## What is CVE-2025-38033?

CVE-2025-38033 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, 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:

x86/Kconfig: make CFI_AUTO_DEFAULT depend on !RUST or Rust >= 1.88

Calling core::fmt::write() from rust code while FineIBT is enabled
results in a kernel panic:

[ 4614.199779] kernel BUG at arch/x86/kernel/cet.c:132!
[ 4614.205343] Oops: invalid opcode: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP NOPTI
[ 4614.211781] CPU: 2 UID: 0 PID: 6057 Comm: dmabuf_dump Tainted: G     U     O       6.12.17-android16-0-g6ab38c534a43 #1 9da040f27673ec3945e23b998a0f8bd64c846599
[ 4614.227832] Tainted: [U]=USER, [O]=OOT_MODULE
[ 4614.241247] RIP: 0010:do_kernel_cp_fault+0xea/0xf0
...
[ 4614.398144] RIP: 0010:_RNvXs5_NtNtNtCs3o2tGsuHyou_4core3fmt3num3impyNtB9_7Display3fmt+0x0/0x20
[ 4614.407792] Code: 48 f7 df 48 0f 48 f9 48 89 f2 89 c6 5d e9 18 fd ff ff 0f 1f 84 00 00 00 00 00 f3 0f 1e fa 41 81 ea 14 61 af 2c 74 03 0f 0b 90 <66> 0f 1f 00 55 48 89 e5 48 89 f2 48 8b 3f be 01 00 00 00 5d e9 e7
[ 4614.428775] RSP: 0018:ffffb95acfa4ba68 EFLAGS: 00010246
[ 4614.434609] RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: 0000000000000010 RCX: 0000000000000000
[ 4614.442587] RDX: 0000000000000007 RSI: ffffb95acfa4ba70 RDI: ffffb95acfa4bc88
[ 4614.450557] RBP: ffffb95acfa4bae0 R08: ffff0a00ffffff05 R09: 0000000000000070
[ 4614.458527] R10: 0000000000000000 R11: ffffffffab67eaf0 R12: ffffb95acfa4bcc8
[ 4614.466493] R13: ffffffffac5d50f0 R14: 0000000000000000 R15: 0000000000000000
[ 4614.474473]  ? __cfi__RNvXs5_NtNtNtCs3o2tGsuHyou_4core3fmt3num3impyNtB9_7Display3fmt+0x10/0x10
[ 4614.484118]  ? _RNvNtCs3o2tGsuHyou_4core3fmt5write+0x1d2/0x250

This happens because core::fmt::write() calls
core::fmt::rt::Argument::fmt(), which currently has CFI disabled:

library/core/src/fmt/rt.rs:
171     // FIXME: Transmuting formatter in new and indirectly branching to/calling
172     // it here is an explicit CFI violation.
173     #[allow(inline_no_sanitize)]
174     #[no_sanitize(cfi, kcfi)]
175     #[inline]
176     pub(super) unsafe fn fmt(&self, f: &mut Formatter<'_>) -> Result {

This causes a Control Protection exception, because FineIBT has sealed
off the original function's endbr64.

This makes rust currently incompatible with FineIBT. Add a Kconfig
dependency that prevents FineIBT from getting turned on by default
if rust is enabled.

[ Rust 1.88.0 (scheduled for 2025-06-26) should have this fixed [1],
  and thus we relaxed the condition with Rust >= 1.88.

  When `objtool` lands checking for this with e.g. [2], the plan is
  to ideally run that in upstream Rust's CI to prevent regressions
  early [3], since we do not control `core`'s source code.

  Alice tested the Rust PR backported to an older compiler.

  Peter would like that Rust provides a stable `core` which can be
  pulled into the kernel: "Relying on that much out of tree code is
  'unfortunate'".

    - Miguel ]

[ Reduced splat. - Miguel ]

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38033?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-38033?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-38033 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38033 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-38033 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-38033 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, 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-2025-38033 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. 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-2025-38033/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38033/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-38033
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-38033
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-38033

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38033/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.
