Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: jffs2: check that raw node...
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
jffs2: check that raw node were preallocated before writing summary
Syzkaller detected a kernel bug in jffs2_link_node_ref, caused by fault
injection in jffs2_prealloc_raw_node_refs. jffs2_sum_write_sumnode doesn't
check return value of jffs2_prealloc_raw_node_refs and simply lets any
error propagate into jffs2_sum_write_data, which eventually calls
jffs2_link_node_ref in order to link the summary to an expectedly allocated
node.
kernel BUG at fs/jffs2/nodelist.c:592!
invalid opcode: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP KASAN NOPTI
CPU: 1 PID: 31277 Comm: syz-executor.7 Not tainted 6.1.128-syzkaller-00139-ge10f83ca10a1 #0
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.12.0-1 04/01/2014
RIP: 0010:jffs2_link_node_ref+0x570/0x690 fs/jffs2/nodelist.c:592
Call Trace:
jffs2_sum_write_data fs/jffs2/summary.c:841 [inline]
jffs2_sum_write_sumnode+0xd1a/0x1da0 fs/jffs2/summary.c:874
jffs2_do_reserve_space+0xa18/0xd60 fs/jffs2/nodemgmt.c:388
jffs2_reserve_space+0x55f/0xaa0 fs/jffs2/nodemgmt.c:197
jffs2_write_inode_range+0x246/0xb50 fs/jffs2/write.c:362
jffs2_write_end+0x726/0x15d0 fs/jffs2/file.c:301
generic_perform_write+0x314/0x5d0 mm/filemap.c:3856
__generic_file_write_iter+0x2ae/0x4d0 mm/filemap.c:3973
generic_file_write_iter+0xe3/0x350 mm/filemap.c:4005
call_write_iter include/linux/fs.h:2265 [inline]
do_iter_readv_writev+0x20f/0x3c0 fs/read_write.c:735
do_iter_write+0x186/0x710 fs/read_write.c:861
vfs_iter_write+0x70/0xa0 fs/read_write.c:902
iter_file_splice_write+0x73b/0xc90 fs/splice.c:685
do_splice_from fs/splice.c:763 [inline]
direct_splice_actor+0x10c/0x170 fs/splice.c:950
splice_direct_to_actor+0x337/0xa10 fs/splice.c:896
do_splice_direct+0x1a9/0x280 fs/splice.c:1002
do_sendfile+0xb13/0x12c0 fs/read_write.c:1255
__do_sys_sendfile64 fs/read_write.c:1323 [inline]
__se_sys_sendfile64 fs/read_write.c:1309 [inline]
__x64_sys_sendfile64+0x1cf/0x210 fs/read_write.c:1309
do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:51 [inline]
do_syscall_64+0x35/0x80 arch/x86/entry/common.c:81
entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x6e/0xd8
Fix this issue by checking return value of jffs2_prealloc_raw_node_refs
before calling jffs2_sum_write_data.
Found by Linux Verification Center (linuxtesting.org) with Syzkaller.
Impact
CVE-2025-38194 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (Medium). The vector is requires local access, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. No fixed version is listed yet, so configuration controls and monitoring matter more in the interim.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2025-38194? CVE-2025-38194 is a medium-severity security vulnerability. No fixed version is listed yet.
- How severe is CVE-2025-38194? CVE-2025-38194 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2025-38194? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2025-38194 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2025-38194 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-38194 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2025-38194 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.