cbcvebase.
CVE-2025-38220
published 2025-07-04

CVE-2025-38220: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: only dirty folios when data journaling regular files fstest generic/388 occasionally…

PriorityP420medium5.5CVSS 3.1
AVLACLPRLUINSUCNINAH
EPSS
0.14%
3.8th percentile
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: only dirty folios when data journaling regular files fstest generic/388 occasionally reproduces a crash that looks as follows: BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000 ... Call Trace: ext4_block_zero_page_range+0x30c/0x380 [ext4] ext4_truncate+0x436/0x440 [ext4] ext4_process_orphan+0x5d/0x110 [ext4] ext4_orphan_cleanup+0x124/0x4f0 [ext4] ext4_fill_super+0x262d/0x3110 [ext4] get_tree_bdev_flags+0x132/0x1d0 vfs_get_tree+0x26/0xd0 vfs_cmd_create+0x59/0xe0 __do_sys_fsconfig+0x4ed/0x6b0 do_syscall_64+0x82/0x170 ... This occurs when processing a symlink inode from the orphan list. The partial block zeroing code in the truncate path calls ext4_dirty_journalled_data() -> folio_mark_dirty(). The latter calls mapping->a_ops->dirty_folio(), but symlink inodes are not assigned an a_ops vector in ext4, hence the crash. To avoid this problem, update the ext4_dirty_journalled_data() helper to only mark the folio dirty on regular files (for which a_ops is assigned). This also matches the journaling logic in the ext4_symlink() creation path, where ext4_handle_dirty_metadata() is called directly.

Affected

23 ranges
VendorProductVersion rangeFixed in
debianlinux< linux 6.12.35-1 (forky)linux 6.12.35-1 (forky)
linuxlinux
linuxlinux>= d84c9ebdac1e39bc7b036c0c829ee8c1956edabc < cf6a4c4ac7b6e3214f25df594c9689a62f1bb456cf6a4c4ac7b6e3214f25df594c9689a62f1bb456
linuxlinux>= d84c9ebdac1e39bc7b036c0c829ee8c1956edabc < be5f3061a6f904e3674257879e71881ceee5b673be5f3061a6f904e3674257879e71881ceee5b673
linuxlinux>= d84c9ebdac1e39bc7b036c0c829ee8c1956edabc < d7af6eee8cd60f55aa8c5fe2b91f11ec0c9a0f27d7af6eee8cd60f55aa8c5fe2b91f11ec0c9a0f27
linuxlinux>= d84c9ebdac1e39bc7b036c0c829ee8c1956edabc < e26268ff1dcae5662c1b96c35f18cfa6ab73d9dee26268ff1dcae5662c1b96c35f18cfa6ab73d9de
linuxlinux_kernel>= 0 < 6.12.35-16.12.35-1
linuxlinux_kernel>= 0 < 6.12.35-16.12.35-1
linuxlinux_kernel>= 0 < 6.8.0-100.1006.8.0-100.100
linuxlinux_kernel>= 6.13 < 6.15.46.15.4
linuxlinux_kernel>= 6.4 < 6.6.956.6.95
linuxlinux_kernel>= 6.7 < 6.12.356.12.35
msrcazl3_kernel_6.6.92.2-2_on_azure_linux_3.0
msrcazl3_kernel_6.6.96.1-1_on_azure_linux_3.0
ubuntulinux-aws
ubuntulinux-aws-6.8
ubuntulinux-gkeop
ubuntulinux-nvidia
ubuntulinux-nvidia-6.8
ubuntulinux-oracle
ubuntulinux-oracle-6.8
ubuntulinux-raspi-realtime
ubuntulinux-realtime

CVSS provenance

nvdv3.15.5MEDIUMCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
osv5.6MEDIUM
vendor_ubuntu5.6MEDIUM
vendor_debian5.5LOW
vendor_msrc5.5MEDIUM
vendor_redhat5.5MEDIUM
Stop checking back — get the weekly exploitation signal.

Every Monday: what got weaponized or added to CISA KEV in the last seven days — each CVE cross-linked to its PoC, Nuclei template, and detection rule. Free, one email a week, unsubscribe in one click.