# CVE-2025-38277: mtd: nand: ecc-mxic: Fix use of uninitialized variable ret

> An uninitialized variable in the Linux kernel NAND ECC driver can cause kernel crashes or unpredictable behavior when specific edge cases occur.

- **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:** 10 Jul 2025
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-64973, BELL-CVE-2025-38277, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-38277, GHSA-2q6w-3xvm-pchp, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2025-38277, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-38277, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-38277

## What is CVE-2025-38277?

CVE-2025-38277 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 10 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:

mtd: nand: ecc-mxic: Fix use of uninitialized variable ret

If ctx->steps is zero, the loop processing ECC steps is skipped,
and the variable ret remains uninitialized. It is later checked
and returned, which leads to undefined behavior and may cause
unpredictable results in user space or kernel crashes.

This scenario can be triggered in edge cases such as misconfigured
geometry, ECC engine misuse, or if ctx->steps is not validated
after initialization.

Initialize ret to zero before the loop to ensure correct and safe
behavior regardless of the ctx->steps value.

Found by Linux Verification Center (linuxtesting.org) with SVACE.

Weakness: CWE-908 (Use of Uninitialized Resource)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38277?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Debian Debian Linux, Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-38277?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-38277 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38277 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Debian Debian Linux

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- [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-2025-38277 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-38277 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 10 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-2025-38277 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-2025-38277/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38277/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-38277
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-38277
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-38277

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38277/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.