# CVE-2025-38531: iio: common: st_sensors: Fix use of uninitialize device structs

> A use of uninitialized device structs in the Linux kernel IIO subsystem can cause a kernel panic, leading to denial of service.

- **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:** 16 Aug 2025
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-66362, AZL-70454, BELL-CVE-2025-38531, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-38531, GHSA-f266-g682-96xf, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2025-38531, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2025-38531, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-13-CVE-2025-38531, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2025-38531, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-38531, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-38531

## What is CVE-2025-38531?

CVE-2025-38531 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 16 Aug 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:

iio: common: st_sensors: Fix use of uninitialize device structs

Throughout the various probe functions &indio_dev->dev is used before it
is initialized. This caused a kernel panic in st_sensors_power_enable()
when the call to devm_regulator_bulk_get_enable() fails and then calls
dev_err_probe() with the uninitialized device.

This seems to only cause a panic with dev_err_probe(), dev_err(),
dev_warn() and dev_info() don't seem to cause a panic, but are fixed
as well.

The issue is reported and traced here: [1]

Weakness: CWE-908 (Use of Uninitialized Resource)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38531?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-38531?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-38531 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38531 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-2025-38531 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-38531 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 16 Aug 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-2025-38531 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-2025-38531/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38531/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-38531
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-38531
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-38531

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38531/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.