Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: PCI: pnv_php: Fix surprise...
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
PCI: pnv_php: Fix surprise plug detection and recovery
The existing PowerNV hotplug code did not handle surprise plug events
correctly, leading to a complete failure of the hotplug system after device
removal and a required reboot to detect new devices.
This comes down to two issues:
When a device is surprise removed, often the bridge upstream
port will cause a PE freeze on the PHB. If this freeze is not
cleared, the MSI interrupts from the bridge hotplug notification
logic will not be received by the kernel, stalling all plug events
on all slots associated with the PE.When a device is removed from a slot, regardless of surprise or
programmatic removal, the associated PHB/PE ls left frozen.
If this freeze is not cleared via a fundamental reset, skiboot
is unable to clear the freeze and cannot retrain / rescan the
slot. This also requires a reboot to clear the freeze and redetect
the device in the slot.
Issue the appropriate unfreeze and rescan commands on hotplug events,
and don't oops on hotplug if pci_bus_to_OF_node() returns NULL.
[bhelgaas: tidy comments]
Impact
CVE-2025-38623 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-2025-38623? CVE-2025-38623 is a medium-severity security vulnerability. No fixed version is listed yet.
- How severe is CVE-2025-38623? CVE-2025-38623 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-2025-38623? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2025-38623 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2025-38623 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-38623 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-2025-38623 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.