CVE-2025-38348 wifi: p54: prevent buffer-overflow in p54_rx_eeprom_readback()
A malicious USB device can trigger a buffer overflow in the Linux kernel p54 WiFi driver, potentially causing a crash or code execution.
- 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-2025-38348?
CVE-2025-38348 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:
wifi: p54: prevent buffer-overflow in p54_rx_eeprom_readback()
Robert Morris reported:
|If a malicious USB device pretends to be an Intersil p54 wifi |interface and generates an eeprom_readback message with a large |eeprom->v1.len, p54_rx_eeprom_readback() will copy data from the |message beyond the end of priv->eeprom. | |static void p54_rx_eeprom_readback(struct p54_common *priv, | struct sk_buff *skb) |{ | struct p54_hdr *hdr = (struct p54_hdr *) skb->data; | struct p54_eeprom_lm86 *eeprom = (struct p54_eeprom_lm86 *) hdr->data; | | if (priv->fw_var >= 0x509) { | memcpy(priv->eeprom, eeprom->v2.data, | le16_to_cpu(eeprom->v2.len)); | } else { | memcpy(priv->eeprom, eeprom->v1.data, | le16_to_cpu(eeprom->v1.len)); | } | [...]
The eeprom->v{1,2}.len is set by the driver in p54_download_eeprom(). The device is supposed to provide the same length back to the driver. But yes, it's possible (like shown in the report) to alter the value to something that causes a crash/panic due to overrun.
This patch addresses the issue by adding the size to the common device context, so p54_rx_eeprom_readback no longer relies on possibly tampered values... That said, it also checks if the "firmware" altered the value and no longer copies them.
The one, small saving grace is: Before the driver tries to read the eeprom, it needs to upload >a< firmware. the vendor firmware has a proprietary license and as a reason, it is not present on most distributions by default.
Weakness: CWE-787
Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38348?
It affects 2 products.
Products include Debian Debian Linux, Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2025-38348?
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-2025-38348 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38348 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Debian Debian Linux
Sources
Also known as AZL-64893, BELL-CVE-2025-38348, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-38348, GHSA-7vp7-2c88-3j3x, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2025-38348, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2025-38348 and 3 more.