CVE-2025-21738

MEDIUMCVSS 5.5/10EPSS 0.19%

Last modified

CVE-2025-21738 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 5.5/10 on the CVSS scale. In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ata: libata-sff: Ensure that we cannot write outside the allocated buffer reveliofuzzing reported that a SCSI_IOCTL_SEND_COMMAND ioctl with out_len set to 0xd42, SCSI command set to ATA_16 PASS-THROUGH, ATA command set to ATA_NOP, and protocol set to ATA_PROT_PIO, can cause ata_pio_sector() to write outside the allocated buffer, overwriting random memory. While a ATA device is supposed to abort a ATA_NOP command, there does seem to be a bug either in libata-sff or QEMU, where either this status is not set, or the status is cleared before read by ata_sff_hsm_move(). Anyway, that is most likely a separate bug. Looking at __atapi_pio_bytes(), it already has a safety check to ensure that __atapi_pio_bytes() cannot write outside the allocated buffer. Add a similar check to ata_pio_sector(), such that also ata_pio_sector() cannot write outside the allocated buffer.. EPSS estimates a 0.19% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ata: libata-sff: Ensure that we cannot write outside the allocated buffer reveliofuzzing reported that a SCSI_IOCTL_SEND_COMMAND ioctl with out_len set to 0xd42, SCSI command set to ATA_16 PASS-THROUGH, ATA command set to ATA_NOP, and protocol set to ATA_PROT_PIO, can cause ata_pio_sector() to write outside the allocated buffer, overwriting random memory. While a ATA device is supposed to abort a ATA_NOP command, there does seem to be a bug either in libata-sff or QEMU, where either this status is not set, or the status is cleared before read by ata_sff_hsm_move(). Anyway, that is most likely a separate bug. Looking at __atapi_pio_bytes(), it already has a safety check to ensure that __atapi_pio_bytes() cannot write outside the allocated buffer. Add a similar check to ata_pio_sector(), such that also ata_pio_sector() cannot write outside the allocated buffer.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1
5.5/10

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

EPSS Probability
0.19%

9.1th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Affected Software

VendorProductVersions
LinuxLinux Kernel< 6.1.129
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 6.2, < 6.6.78
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 6.7, < 6.12.14
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 6.13, < 6.13.3

References

Timeline

Published
Last Modified
Status
Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-21738?
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ata: libata-sff: Ensure that we cannot write outside the allocated buffer reveliofuzzing reported that a SCSI_IOCTL_SEND_COMMAND ioctl with out_len set to 0xd42, SCSI command set to ATA_16 PASS-THROUGH, ATA command set to ATA_NOP, and protocol set to ATA_PROT_PIO, can cause ata_pio_sector() to write outside the allocated buffer, overwriting random memory. While a ATA device is supposed to abort a ATA_NOP command, there does seem to be a bug either in libata-sff or QEMU, where either this status is not set, or the status is cleared before read by ata_sff_hsm_move(). Anyway, that is most likely a separate bug. Looking at __atapi_pio_bytes(), it already has a safety check to ensure that __atapi_pio_bytes() cannot write outside the allocated buffer. Add a similar check to ata_pio_sector(), such that also ata_pio_sector() cannot write outside the allocated buffer.
How severe is CVE-2025-21738?
CVE-2025-21738 has a CVSS score of 5.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.19% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2025-21738?
Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2025-21738?

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Source: NVD / NIST