Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: pNFS: Fix uninited ptr deref...
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
pNFS: Fix uninited ptr deref in block/scsi layout
The error occurs on the third attempt to encode extents. When function
ext_tree_prepare_commit() reallocates a larger buffer to retry encoding
extents, the "layoutupdate_pages" page array is initialized only after the
retry loop. But ext_tree_free_commitdata() is called on every iteration
and tries to put pages in the array, thus dereferencing uninitialized
pointers.
An additional problem is that there is no limit on the maximum possible
buffer_size. When there are too many extents, the client may create a
layoutcommit that is larger than the maximum possible RPC size accepted
by the server.
During testing, we observed two typical scenarios. First, one memory page
for extents is enough when we work with small files, append data to the
end of the file, or preallocate extents before writing. But when we fill
a new large file without preallocating, the number of extents can be huge,
and counting the number of written extents in ext_tree_encode_commit()
does not help much. Since this number increases even more between
unlocking and locking of ext_tree, the reallocated buffer may not be
large enough again and again.
Impact
CVE-2025-38691 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-2025-38691? CVE-2025-38691 is a medium-severity security vulnerability. No fixed version is listed yet.
- How severe is CVE-2025-38691? CVE-2025-38691 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-2025-38691? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2025-38691 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2025-38691 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-38691 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-2025-38691 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.