Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: comedi: Fix use of...
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
comedi: Fix use of uninitialized memory in do_insn_ioctl() and do_insnlist_ioctl()
syzbot reports a KMSAN kernel-infoleak in do_insn_ioctl(). A kernel
buffer is allocated to hold insn->n samples (each of which is anunsigned int). For some instruction types, insn->n samples are
copied back to user-space, unless an error code is being returned. The
problem is that not all the instruction handlers that need to return
data to userspace fill in the whole insn->n samples, so that there is
an information leak. There is a similar syzbot report fordo_insnlist_ioctl(), although it does not have a reproducer for it at
the time of writing.
One culprit is insn_rw_emulate_bits() which is used as the handler forINSN_READ or INSN_WRITE instructions for subdevices that do not have
a specific handler for that instruction, but do have an INSN_BITS
handler. For INSN_READ it only fills in at most 1 sample, so ifinsn->n is greater than 1, the remaining insn->n - 1 samples copied
to userspace will be uninitialized kernel data.
Another culprit is vm80xx_ai_insn_read() in the "vm80xx" driver. It
never returns an error, even if it fails to fill the buffer.
Fix it in do_insn_ioctl() and do_insnlist_ioctl() by making sure
that uninitialized parts of the allocated buffer are zeroed before
handling each instruction.
Thanks to Arnaud Lecomte for their fix to do_insn_ioctl(). That fix
replaced the call to kmalloc_array() with kcalloc(), but it is not
always necessary to clear the whole buffer.
Impact
CVE-2025-39684 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-2025-39684? CVE-2025-39684 is a medium-severity security vulnerability. No fixed version is listed yet.
- How severe is CVE-2025-39684? CVE-2025-39684 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-2025-39684? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2025-39684 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2025-39684 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-39684 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-2025-39684 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.