Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tty: serial: uartlite:...
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
tty: serial: uartlite: register uart driver in init
When two instances of uart devices are probing, a concurrency race can
occur. If one thread calls uart_register_driver function, which first
allocates and assigns memory to 'uart_state' member of uart_driver
structure, the other instance can bypass uart driver registration and
call ulite_assign. This calls uart_add_one_port, which expects the uart
driver to be fully initialized. This leads to a kernel panic due to a
null pointer dereference:
[ 8.143581] BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 00000000000002b8
[ 8.156982] #PF: supervisor write access in kernel mode
[ 8.156984] #PF: error_code(0x0002) - not-present page
[ 8.156986] PGD 0 P4D 0
...
[ 8.180668] RIP: 0010:mutex_lock+0x19/0x30
[ 8.188624] Call Trace:
[ 8.188629] ? __die_body.cold+0x1a/0x1f
[ 8.195260] ? page_fault_oops+0x15c/0x290
[ 8.209183] ? __irq_resolve_mapping+0x47/0x80
[ 8.209187] ? exc_page_fault+0x64/0x140
[ 8.209190] ? asm_exc_page_fault+0x22/0x30
[ 8.209196] ? mutex_lock+0x19/0x30
[ 8.223116] uart_add_one_port+0x60/0x440
[ 8.223122] ? proc_tty_register_driver+0x43/0x50
[ 8.223126] ? tty_register_driver+0x1ca/0x1e0
[ 8.246250] ulite_probe+0x357/0x4b0 [uartlite]
To prevent it, move uart driver registration in to init function. This
will ensure that uart_driver is always registered when probe function
is called.
Impact
The application dereferences a null pointer, causing a crash. Typical impact: denial of service via crash.
CVE-2025-38262 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-2025-38262? CVE-2025-38262 is a medium-severity null pointer dereference vulnerability. No fixed version is listed yet. The application dereferences a null pointer, causing a crash.
- How severe is CVE-2025-38262? CVE-2025-38262 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-2025-38262? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2025-38262 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2025-38262 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-38262 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-2025-38262 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.