CVE-2025-38298 EDAC/skx_common: Fix general protection fault
A local attacker can trigger a general protection fault and system crash by reloading the i10nm_edac kernel module, causing a denial of service.
- 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
What is CVE-2025-38298?
CVE-2025-38298 is a high-severity memory corruption 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:
EDAC/skx_common: Fix general protection fault
After loading i10nm_edac (which automatically loads skx_edac_common), if unload only i10nm_edac, then reload it and perform error injection testing, a general protection fault may occur:
mce: [Hardware Error]: Machine check events logged Oops: general protection fault ... ... Workqueue: events mce_gen_pool_process RIP: 0010:string+0x53/0xe0 ... Call Trace: <TASK> ? die_addr+0x37/0x90 ? exc_general_protection+0x1e7/0x3f0 ? asm_exc_general_protection+0x26/0x30 ? string+0x53/0xe0 vsnprintf+0x23e/0x4c0 snprintf+0x4d/0x70 skx_adxl_decode+0x16a/0x330 [skx_edac_common] skx_mce_check_error.part.0+0xf8/0x220 [skx_edac_common] skx_mce_check_error+0x17/0x20 [skx_edac_common] ...
The issue arose was because the variable 'adxl_component_count' (inside skx_edac_common), which counts the ADXL components, was not reset. During the reloading of i10nm_edac, the count was incremented by the actual number of ADXL components again, resulting in a count that was double the real number of ADXL components. This led to an out-of-bounds reference to the ADXL component array, causing the general protection fault above.
Fix this issue by resetting the 'adxl_component_count' in adxl_put(), which is called during the unloading of {skx,i10nm}_edac.
Weakness: CWE-787
Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38298?
It affects 2 products.
Products include Debian Debian Linux, Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2025-38298?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade to the fixed version. Memory-safe languages, compiler hardening and fuzzing prevent most new cases. More about Memory corruption.
Is CVE-2025-38298 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38298 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Debian Debian Linux
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2025-38298, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-38298, GHSA-x5j4-cx5q-8rjr, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2025-38298, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2025-38298, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2025-38298 and 2 more.