CVE-2025-38252 cxl/ras: Fix CPER handler device confusion

What is CVE-2025-38252?

CVE-2025-38252 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 9 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:

cxl/ras: Fix CPER handler device confusion

By inspection, cxl_cper_handle_prot_err() is making a series of fragile assumptions that can lead to crashes:

1/ It assumes that endpoints identified in the record are a CXL-type-3 device, nothing guarantees that.

2/ It assumes that the device is bound to the cxl_pci driver, nothing guarantees that.

3/ Minor, it holds the device lock over the switch-port tracing for no reason as the trace is 100% generated from data in the record.

Correct those by checking that the PCIe endpoint parents a cxl_memdev before assuming the format of the driver data, and move the lock to where it is required. Consequently this also makes the implementation ready for CXL accelerators that are not bound to cxl_pci.

Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38252?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Linux kernel.

How do I fix CVE-2025-38252?

Apply the vendor's patch.

Is CVE-2025-38252 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38252 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

• CVE-2026-53266 Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write Exploited High 8.8
• CVE-2013-6282 Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation Exploited High 8.8
• CVE-2022-0185 Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow Exploited High 8.4
• CVE-2013-2094 Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation Exploited High 8.4
• CVE-2026-53362 Linux Kernel Unspecified Exploited High 7.8

All Linux kernel vulnerabilities

Sources

• CVE record
• NVD
• OSV
• GitHub advisory
• How this page is made

Also known as BELL-CVE-2025-38252, GHSA-r9h8-qv2j-9qwp, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-38252.