CVE-2025-38701

Medium

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: do not BUG when INLINE_DATA_FL lacks system.data xattr A syzbot fuzzed image triggered a BUG_ON in ext4_update_inline_data() when an inode had the INLINE_DATA_FL flag set but was missing the system.data extended attribute. Since this can happen due to a maiciouly fuzzed file system, we shouldn't BUG, but rather, report it as a corrupted file system. Add similar replacements of BUG_ON with EXT4_ERROR_INODE() ii ext4_create_inline_data() and ext4_inline_data_truncate().

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2025-09-04
Last modified 2026-05-12
CVSS version 3.1
Patch available
Yes

CVSS 3.1 score

5.5

out of 10
Medium
Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
High
Vector string
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Weakness type

CWE-617

CVE-2025-38701 is classified as CWE-617

See CWE-617 on MITRE CWE for full details on this weakness type.

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 3.8 and later are affected. Fixed in 5.4.297, 5.10.241, 5.15.190, 6.1.149, 6.6.103, 6.12.43, 6.15.11, 6.16.2, 6.17 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 3.8
Fixed in
✓ 5.4.297 5.4.x ✓ 5.10.241 5.10.x ✓ 5.15.190 5.15.x ✓ 6.1.149 6.1.x ✓ 6.6.103 6.6.x ✓ 6.12.43 6.12.x ✓ 6.15.11 6.15.x ✓ 6.16.2 6.16.x ✓ 6.17

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2025-38701 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2025-38701?

    CVE-2025-38701 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10 . It affects Linux kernel versions from 3.8 onward and has been patched in 5.4.297, 5.10.241, 5.15.190 and others. CVE-2025-38701 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2025-38701?

    CVE-2025-38701 has a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, rated Medium severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H .

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2025-38701?

    Yes — CVE-2025-38701 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.4.297, 5.10.241, 5.15.190 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 3.8 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2025-38701 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2025-38701 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.