# CVE-2025-38446: clk: imx: Fix an out-of-bounds access in dispmix_csr_clk_dev_data

> An out-of-bounds read in the Linux kernel's i.MX clock driver can cause a system crash, requiring a kernel patch to fix.

- **Severity:** High 7.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/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:** 25 Jul 2025
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2025-38446, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-38446, GHSA-jmr2-wxvx-w46r, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-38446

## What is CVE-2025-38446?

CVE-2025-38446 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux kernel, 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:

clk: imx: Fix an out-of-bounds access in dispmix_csr_clk_dev_data

When num_parents is 4, __clk_register() occurs an out-of-bounds
when accessing parent_names member. Use ARRAY_SIZE() instead of
hardcode number here.

 BUG: KASAN: global-out-of-bounds in __clk_register+0x1844/0x20d8
 Read of size 8 at addr ffff800086988e78 by task kworker/u24:3/59
  Hardware name: NXP i.MX95 19X19 board (DT)
  Workqueue: events_unbound deferred_probe_work_func
  Call trace:
    dump_backtrace+0x94/0xec
    show_stack+0x18/0x24
    dump_stack_lvl+0x8c/0xcc
    print_report+0x398/0x5fc
    kasan_report+0xd4/0x114
    __asan_report_load8_noabort+0x20/0x2c
    __clk_register+0x1844/0x20d8
    clk_hw_register+0x44/0x110
    __clk_hw_register_mux+0x284/0x3a8
    imx95_bc_probe+0x4f4/0xa70

Weakness: CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38446?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-38446?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-38446 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38446 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-38446 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-38446 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 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-2025-38446 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. 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-2025-38446/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38446/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-38446
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-38446
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-38446

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38446/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.