CVE-2025-38416 NFC: nci: uart: Set tty->disc_data only in success path
A race condition in the Linux kernel NFC UART driver allows potential denial of service if hardware sends data before initialization completes.
- 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-2025-38416?
CVE-2025-38416 is a high-severity vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 25 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:
NFC: nci: uart: Set tty->disc_data only in success path
Setting tty->disc_data before opening the NCI device means we need to clean it up on error paths. This also opens some short window if device starts sending data, even before NCIUARTSETDRIVER IOCTL succeeded (broken hardware?). Close the window by exposing tty->disc_data only on the success path, when opening of the NCI device and try_module_get() succeeds.
The code differs in error path in one aspect: tty->disc_data won't be ever assigned thus NULL-ified. This however should not be relevant difference, because of "tty->disc_data=NULL" in nci_uart_tty_open().
Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38416?
It affects 2 products.
Products include Debian Debian Linux, Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2025-38416?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Is CVE-2025-38416 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38416 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Debian Debian Linux
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2025-38416, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-38416, GHSA-9qw8-xx45-2wp7, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2025-38416, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2025-38416, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2025-38416 and 2 more.