CVE-2025-39923
MediumIn the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: dmaengine: qcom: bam_dma: Fix DT error handling for num-channels/ees When we don't have a clock specified in the device tree, we have no way to ensure the BAM is on. This is often the case for remotely-controlled or remotely-powered BAM instances. In this case, we need to read num-channels from the DT to have all the necessary information to complete probing. However, at the moment invalid device trees without clock and without num-channels still continue probing, because the error handling is missing return statements. The driver will then later try to read the number of channels from the registers. This is unsafe, because it relies on boot firmware and lucky timing to succeed. Unfortunately, the lack of proper error handling here has been abused for several Qualcomm SoCs upstream, causing early boot crashes in several situations [1, 2]. Avoid these early crashes by erroring out when any of the required DT properties are missing. Note that this will break some of the existing DTs upstream (mainly BAM instances related to the crypto engine). However, clearly these DTs have never been tested properly, since the error in the kernel log was just ignored. It's safer to disable the crypto engine for these broken DTBs. [1]: https://lore.kernel.org/r/[email protected]/ [2]: https://lore.kernel.org/r/[email protected]/
CVSS 3.1 score
5.5
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Affected versions
Linux kernel versions
4.9.104,
4.14.45,
4.16.13,
4.17
and later are affected. Fixed in
5.4.300,
5.10.245,
5.15.194,
6.1.153,
6.6.107,
6.12.48,
6.16.8,
6.17
and their respective stable series.
References
The following references provide additional information about CVE-2025-39923 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.
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Third Party Advisory
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PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0ff9df758af7022d749718fb6b8385cc5693acf3
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PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1d98ba204d8a6db0d986c7f1aefaa0dcd1c007a2
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PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1fc14731f0be4885e60702b9596d14d9a79cf053
Frequently asked questions
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What is CVE-2025-39923?
CVE-2025-39923 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10 . It affects Linux kernel versions from 4.9.104 onward and has been patched in 5.4.300, 5.10.245, 5.15.194 and others. CVE-2025-39923 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
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What is the CVSS score for CVE-2025-39923?
CVE-2025-39923 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-2025-39923?
Yes — CVE-2025-39923 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.4.300, 5.10.245, 5.15.194 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 4.9.104 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
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Is CVE-2025-39923 actively exploited?
No — CVE-2025-39923 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.