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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2025-38136

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-07-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.4.295 / 5.10.239 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click Patch available

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: usb: renesas_usbhs: Reorder clock handling and power management in probe Reorder the initialization sequence in `usbhs_probe()` to enable runtime PM before accessing registers, preventing potential crashes due to uninitialized clocks. Currently, in the probe path, registers are accessed before enabling the clocks, leading to a synchronous external abort on the RZ/V2H SoC. The problematic call flow is as follows: usbhs_probe() usbhs_sys_clock_ctrl() usbhs_bset() usbhs_write() iowrite16() <-- Register access before enabling clocks Since `iowrite16()` is performed without ensuring the required clocks are enabled, this can lead to access errors. To fix this, enable PM runtime early in the probe function and ensure clocks are acquired before register access, preventing crashes like the following on RZ/V2H: [13.272640] Internal error: synchronous external abort: 0000000096000010 [#1] PREEMPT SMP [13.280814] Modules linked in: cec renesas_usbhs(+) drm_kms_helper fuse drm backlight ipv6 [13.289088] CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 195 Comm: (udev-worker) Not tainted 6.14.0-rc7+ #98 [13.296640] Hardware name: Renesas RZ/V2H EVK Board based on r9a09g057h44 (DT) [13.303834] pstate: 60400005 (nZCv daif +PAN -UAO -TCO -DIT -SSBS BTYPE=--) [13.310770] pc : usbhs_bset+0x14/0x4c [renesas_usbhs] [13.315831] lr : usbhs_probe+0x2e4/0x5ac [renesas_usbhs] [13.321138] sp : ffff8000827e3850 [13.324438] x29: ffff8000827e3860 x28: 0000000000000000 x27: ffff8000827e3ca0 [13.331554] x26: ffff8000827e3ba0 x25: ffff800081729668 x24: 0000000000000025 [13.338670] x23: ffff0000c0f08000 x22: 0000000000000000 x21: ffff0000c0f08010 [13.345783] x20: 0000000000000000 x19: ffff0000c3b52080 x18: 00000000ffffffff [13.352895] x17: 0000000000000000 x16: 0000000000000000 x15: ffff8000827e36ce [13.360009] x14: 00000000000003d7 x13: 00000000000003d7 x12: 0000000000000000 [13.367122] x11: 0000000000000000 x10: 0000000000000aa0 x9 : ffff8000827e3750 [13.374235] x8 : ffff0000c1850b00 x7 : 0000000003826060 x6 : 000000000000001c [13.381347] x5 : 000000030d5fcc00 x4 : ffff8000825c0000 x3 : 0000000000000000 [13.388459] x2 : 0000000000000400 x1 : 0000000000000000 x0 : ffff0000c3b52080 [13.395574] Call trace: [13.398013] usbhs_bset+0x14/0x4c [renesas_usbhs] (P) [13.403076] platform_probe+0x68/0xdc [13.406738] really_probe+0xbc/0x2c0 [13.410306] __driver_probe_device+0x78/0x120 [13.414653] driver_probe_device+0x3c/0x154 [13.418825] __driver_attach+0x90/0x1a0 [13.422647] bus_for_each_dev+0x7c/0xe0 [13.426470] driver_attach+0x24/0x30 [13.430032] bus_add_driver+0xe4/0x208 [13.433766] driver_register+0x68/0x130 [13.437587] __platform_driver_register+0x24/0x30 [13.442273] renesas_usbhs_driver_init+0x20/0x1000 [renesas_usbhs] [13.448450] do_one_initcall+0x60/0x1d4 [13.452276] do_init_module+0x54/0x1f8 [13.456014] load_module+0x1754/0x1c98 [13.459750] init_module_from_file+0x88/0xcc [13.464004] __arm64_sys_finit_module+0x1c4/0x328 [13.468689] invoke_syscall+0x48/0x104 [13.472426] el0_svc_common.constprop.0+0xc0/0xe0 [13.477113] do_el0_svc+0x1c/0x28 [13.480415] el0_svc+0x30/0xcc [13.483460] el0t_64_sync_handler+0x10c/0x138 [13.487800] el0t_64_sync+0x198/0x19c [13.491453] Code: 2a0103e1 12003c42 12003c63 8b010084 (79400084) [13.497522] ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]---

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis
How this class of weakness works · CWE-908

Memory or a resource is used before it has been initialised, so its contents are whatever happened to be there — sometimes leaking earlier data, sometimes values an attacker can influence. Behaviour becomes unpredictable and occasionally exploitable. Remediation is initialising every resource before use and ensuring initialisation happens on all code paths.

General guidance for the use of uninitialized resource class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:>= 3.0, < 5.4.295>= 5.5, < 5.10.239>= 5.11, < 5.15.186>= 5.16, < 6.1.142>= 6.2, < 6.6.94>= 6.7, < 6.12.34>= 6.13, < 6.15.3
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 11.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 5.4.295 / 5.10.239 / 5.15.186 or later
Fixed in 5.4.2955.10.2395.15.186
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Linux kernel 5.4.295, 5.10.239, 5.15.186, or 6.1.142 (depending on which branch you are on); Debian 11 kernel >= 5.10.239

  1. Identify the currently running Linux kernel version using `uname -r`
  2. For Debian 11 (bullseye) systems: Check if a kernel update is available via `apt update && apt-cache policy linux-image-*` and upgrade to a patched kernel version >= 5.10.239
  3. For systems running mainline Linux kernels: Upgrade to one of the following fixed versions depending on your current branch: 5.4.295, 5.10.239, 5.15.186, or 6.1.142
  4. After kernel upgrade, reboot the system to load the fixed kernel version
  5. Verify the fix is applied by checking the kernel version after reboot with `uname -r` and confirming the version is at or above the appropriate fixed release
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require rebooting and could have compatibility implications with custom drivers or modules; ensure dependent modules and userland tools are compatible with the new kernel version before production deployment

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $1,600. Get the upgrade done

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

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Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-38136 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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