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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2025-38451

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-07-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.1.146 / 6.6.99 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: md/md-bitmap: fix GPF in bitmap_get_stats() The commit message of commit 6ec1f0239485 ("md/md-bitmap: fix stats collection for external bitmaps") states: Remove the external bitmap check as the statistics should be available regardless of bitmap storage location. Return -EINVAL only for invalid bitmap with no storage (neither in superblock nor in external file). But, the code does not adhere to the above, as it does only check for a valid super-block for "internal" bitmaps. Hence, we observe: Oops: GPF, probably for non-canonical address 0x1cd66f1f40000028 RIP: 0010:bitmap_get_stats+0x45/0xd0 Call Trace: seq_read_iter+0x2b9/0x46a seq_read+0x12f/0x180 proc_reg_read+0x57/0xb0 vfs_read+0xf6/0x380 ksys_read+0x6d/0xf0 do_syscall_64+0x8c/0x1b0 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e We fix this by checking the existence of a super-block for both the internal and external case.

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

A detailed technical summary for this CVE is being prepared.

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:>= 6.1.135, < 6.1.146>= 6.6.88, < 6.6.99>= 6.12.25, < 6.12.39>= 6.14.4, < 6.15>= 6.15.1, < 6.15.7= 6.15= 6.16
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 6.1.146 / 6.6.99 / 6.12.39 or later
Fixed in 6.1.1466.6.996.12.39
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Linux Kernel 6.1.146 / 6.6.99 / 6.12.39 / 6.15 (depending on current branch)

  1. 1. Identify the current running kernel version using 'uname -r'
  2. 2. Determine which kernel branch you are currently on (e.g., 6.1.x, 6.6.x, 6.12.x, or 6.14.x)
  3. 3. Schedule a maintenance window for the kernel upgrade
  4. 4. Upgrade the Linux kernel to version 6.1.146 or higher (if on 6.1 branch), 6.6.99 or higher (if on 6.6 branch), 6.12.39 or higher (if on 6.12 branch), or 6.15 or higher (if on 6.14 branch)
  5. 5. Use your distribution's package manager to install the updated kernel (e.g., 'apt-get update && apt-get upgrade' for Debian)
  6. 6. Reboot the system to load the new kernel
  7. 7. Verify the fix by running 'uname -r' and confirming the version is at or above the fixed version for your branch
Caveat Standard kernel upgrade risks apply - verify driver and module compatibility 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

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-38451 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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