# CVE-2025-38153: net: usb: aqc111: fix error handling of usbnet read calls

> An attacker with physical access or local privileges could trigger uninitialized memory disclosure in the aqc111 USB network driver due to improper error handling.

- **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:** 3 Jul 2025
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-64544, BELL-CVE-2025-38153, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-38153, GHSA-hr85-q7c6-3j62, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2025-38153, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2025-38153, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2025-38153, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-38153, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-38153

## What is CVE-2025-38153?

CVE-2025-38153 is a high-severity vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 3 Jul 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:

net: usb: aqc111: fix error handling of usbnet read calls

Syzkaller, courtesy of syzbot, identified an error (see report [1]) in
aqc111 driver, caused by incomplete sanitation of usb read calls'
results. This problem is quite similar to the one fixed in commit
920a9fa27e78 ("net: asix: add proper error handling of usb read errors").

For instance, usbnet_read_cmd() may read fewer than 'size' bytes,
even if the caller expected the full amount, and aqc111_read_cmd()
will not check its result properly. As [1] shows, this may lead
to MAC address in aqc111_bind() being only partly initialized,
triggering KMSAN warnings.

Fix the issue by verifying that the number of bytes read is
as expected and not less.

[1] Partial syzbot report:
BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in is_valid_ether_addr include/linux/etherdevice.h:208 [inline]
BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in usbnet_probe+0x2e57/0x4390 drivers/net/usb/usbnet.c:1830
 is_valid_ether_addr include/linux/etherdevice.h:208 [inline]
 usbnet_probe+0x2e57/0x4390 drivers/net/usb/usbnet.c:1830
 usb_probe_interface+0xd01/0x1310 drivers/usb/core/driver.c:396
 call_driver_probe drivers/base/dd.c:-1 [inline]
 really_probe+0x4d1/0xd90 drivers/base/dd.c:658
 __driver_probe_device+0x268/0x380 drivers/base/dd.c:800
...

Uninit was stored to memory at:
 dev_addr_mod+0xb0/0x550 net/core/dev_addr_lists.c:582
 __dev_addr_set include/linux/netdevice.h:4874 [inline]
 eth_hw_addr_set include/linux/etherdevice.h:325 [inline]
 aqc111_bind+0x35f/0x1150 drivers/net/usb/aqc111.c:717
 usbnet_probe+0xbe6/0x4390 drivers/net/usb/usbnet.c:1772
 usb_probe_interface+0xd01/0x1310 drivers/usb/core/driver.c:396
...

Uninit was stored to memory at:
 ether_addr_copy include/linux/etherdevice.h:305 [inline]
 aqc111_read_perm_mac drivers/net/usb/aqc111.c:663 [inline]
 aqc111_bind+0x794/0x1150 drivers/net/usb/aqc111.c:713
 usbnet_probe+0xbe6/0x4390 drivers/net/usb/usbnet.c:1772
 usb_probe_interface+0xd01/0x1310 drivers/usb/core/driver.c:396
 call_driver_probe drivers/base/dd.c:-1 [inline]
...

Local variable buf.i created at:
 aqc111_read_perm_mac drivers/net/usb/aqc111.c:656 [inline]
 aqc111_bind+0x221/0x1150 drivers/net/usb/aqc111.c:713
 usbnet_probe+0xbe6/0x4390 drivers/net/usb/usbnet.c:1772

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38153?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Debian Debian Linux, Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-38153?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-38153 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38153 in the wild and no public exploit code.

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- [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-2025-38153 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-38153 is a high-severity vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 3 Jul 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-2025-38153 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-2025-38153/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38153/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-38153
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-38153
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-38153

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38153/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.