CVE-2025-38220 (GCVE-0-2025-38220)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2025-07-04 13:37 – Updated: 2026-05-11 21:23
VLAI
Title
ext4: only dirty folios when data journaling regular files
Summary
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: <TASK> 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.
Severity
No CVSS data available.
Assigner
References
Impacted products
Vendor Product Version
Linux Linux Affected: d84c9ebdac1e39bc7b036c0c829ee8c1956edabc , < cf6a4c4ac7b6e3214f25df594c9689a62f1bb456 (git)
Affected: d84c9ebdac1e39bc7b036c0c829ee8c1956edabc , < be5f3061a6f904e3674257879e71881ceee5b673 (git)
Affected: d84c9ebdac1e39bc7b036c0c829ee8c1956edabc , < d7af6eee8cd60f55aa8c5fe2b91f11ec0c9a0f27 (git)
Affected: d84c9ebdac1e39bc7b036c0c829ee8c1956edabc , < e26268ff1dcae5662c1b96c35f18cfa6ab73d9de (git)
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Linux Linux Affected: 6.4
Unaffected: 0 , < 6.4 (semver)
Unaffected: 6.6.95 , ≤ 6.6.* (semver)
Unaffected: 6.12.35 , ≤ 6.12.* (semver)
Unaffected: 6.15.4 , ≤ 6.15.* (semver)
Unaffected: 6.16 , ≤ * (original_commit_for_fix)
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{
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          "product": "Linux",
          "programFiles": [
            "fs/ext4/inode.c"
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          "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\next4: only dirty folios when data journaling regular files\n\nfstest generic/388 occasionally reproduces a crash that looks as\nfollows:\n\nBUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000\n...\nCall Trace:\n \u003cTASK\u003e\n ext4_block_zero_page_range+0x30c/0x380 [ext4]\n ext4_truncate+0x436/0x440 [ext4]\n ext4_process_orphan+0x5d/0x110 [ext4]\n ext4_orphan_cleanup+0x124/0x4f0 [ext4]\n ext4_fill_super+0x262d/0x3110 [ext4]\n get_tree_bdev_flags+0x132/0x1d0\n vfs_get_tree+0x26/0xd0\n vfs_cmd_create+0x59/0xe0\n __do_sys_fsconfig+0x4ed/0x6b0\n do_syscall_64+0x82/0x170\n ...\n\nThis occurs when processing a symlink inode from the orphan list. The\npartial block zeroing code in the truncate path calls\next4_dirty_journalled_data() -\u003e folio_mark_dirty(). The latter calls\nmapping-\u003ea_ops-\u003edirty_folio(), but symlink inodes are not assigned an\na_ops vector in ext4, hence the crash.\n\nTo avoid this problem, update the ext4_dirty_journalled_data() helper to\nonly mark the folio dirty on regular files (for which a_ops is\nassigned). This also matches the journaling logic in the ext4_symlink()\ncreation path, where ext4_handle_dirty_metadata() is called directly."
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        "dateUpdated": "2026-05-11T21:23:33.613Z",
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    "cveId": "CVE-2025-38220",
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    "dateReserved": "2025-04-16T04:51:23.995Z",
    "dateUpdated": "2026-05-11T21:23:33.613Z",
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The\\npartial block zeroing code in the truncate path calls\\next4_dirty_journalled_data() -\u003e folio_mark_dirty(). The latter calls\\nmapping-\u003ea_ops-\u003edirty_folio(), but symlink inodes are not assigned an\\na_ops vector in ext4, hence the crash.\\n\\nTo avoid this problem, update the ext4_dirty_journalled_data() helper to\\nonly mark the folio dirty on regular files (for which a_ops is\\nassigned). This also matches the journaling logic in the ext4_symlink()\\ncreation path, where ext4_handle_dirty_metadata() is called directly.\"},{\"lang\":\"es\",\"value\":\"En el kernel de Linux, se ha resuelto la siguiente vulnerabilidad: ext4: solo folios sucios cuando se registran datos de archivos normales fstest generic/388 ocasionalmente reproduce un fallo que se parece a lo siguiente: ERROR: desreferencia de puntero NULL del kernel, direcci\u00f3n: 0000000000000000 ... Seguimiento de llamadas: 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 ... Esto ocurre al procesar un inodo de enlace simb\u00f3lico de la lista de hu\u00e9rfanos. El c\u00f3digo de puesta a cero parcial de bloques en la ruta de truncamiento llama a ext4_dirty_journalled_data() -\u0026gt; folio_mark_dirty(). Este \u00faltimo llama a mapping-\u0026gt;a_ops-\u0026gt;dirty_folio(), pero los inodos de enlace simb\u00f3lico no tienen asignado un vector a_ops en ext4, lo que explica el fallo. Para evitar este problema, actualice el asistente ext4_dirty_journalled_data() para que solo marque el folio como sucio en archivos normales (para los que se asigna a_ops). Esto tambi\u00e9n coincide con la l\u00f3gica de registro en la ruta de creaci\u00f3n de ext4_symlink(), donde se llama directamente a ext4_handle_dirty_metadata().\"}],\"metrics\":{\"cvssMetricV31\":[{\"source\":\"nvd@nist.gov\",\"type\":\"Primary\",\"cvssData\":{\"version\":\"3.1\",\"vectorString\":\"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H\",\"baseScore\":5.5,\"baseSeverity\":\"MEDIUM\",\"attackVector\":\"LOCAL\",\"attackComplexity\":\"LOW\",\"privilegesRequired\":\"LOW\",\"userInteraction\":\"NONE\",\"scope\":\"UNCHANGED\",\"confidentialityImpact\":\"NONE\",\"integrityImpact\":\"NONE\",\"availabilityImpact\":\"HIGH\"},\"exploitabilityScore\":1.8,\"impactScore\":3.6}]},\"weaknesses\":[{\"source\":\"nvd@nist.gov\",\"type\":\"Primary\",\"description\":[{\"lang\":\"en\",\"value\":\"CWE-476\"}]}],\"configurations\":[{\"nodes\":[{\"operator\":\"OR\",\"negate\":false,\"cpeMatch\":[{\"vulnerable\":true,\"criteria\":\"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*\",\"versionStartIncluding\":\"6.4\",\"versionEndExcluding\":\"6.6.95\",\"matchCriteriaId\":\"F17A70D5-5B72-4411-9C16-98EF57D0C931\"},{\"vulnerable\":true,\"criteria\":\"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*\",\"versionStartIncluding\":\"6.7\",\"versionEndExcluding\":\"6.12.35\",\"matchCriteriaId\":\"E569FD34-0076-4428-BE17-EECCF867611C\"},{\"vulnerable\":true,\"criteria\":\"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*\",\"versionStartIncluding\":\"6.13\",\"versionEndExcluding\":\"6.15.4\",\"matchCriteriaId\":\"DFD174C5-1AA2-4671-BDDC-1A9FCC753655\"}]}]}],\"references\":[{\"url\":\"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/be5f3061a6f904e3674257879e71881ceee5b673\",\"source\":\"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67\",\"tags\":[\"Patch\"]},{\"url\":\"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cf6a4c4ac7b6e3214f25df594c9689a62f1bb456\",\"source\":\"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67\",\"tags\":[\"Patch\"]},{\"url\":\"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d7af6eee8cd60f55aa8c5fe2b91f11ec0c9a0f27\",\"source\":\"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67\",\"tags\":[\"Patch\"]},{\"url\":\"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e26268ff1dcae5662c1b96c35f18cfa6ab73d9de\",\"source\":\"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67\",\"tags\":[\"Patch\"]}]}}"
  }
}


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  • Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
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