CVE-2025-68167 (GCVE-0-2025-68167)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2025-12-16 13:42 – Updated: 2026-08-05 12:09
VLAI
Title
gpiolib: fix invalid pointer access in debugfs
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: gpiolib: fix invalid pointer access in debugfs If the memory allocation in gpiolib_seq_start() fails, the s->private field remains uninitialized and is later dereferenced without checking in gpiolib_seq_stop(). Initialize s->private to NULL before calling kzalloc() and check it before dereferencing it.
Severity
7.8 (High)
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Assigner
Linux CNA under the mitre root
CNA scorecard D 53/100 over 6794 records in the last 180 days details
References
Impacted products
Vendor Product Version CPE status
Linux Linux Affected: e348544f7994d252427ed3ae637c7081cbb90f66 , < 70180a6031056096c93ed2f47c41803268bdd91c (git)
Affected: e348544f7994d252427ed3ae637c7081cbb90f66 , < 3c91c8f424d3e44c8645ab765a38773e58afb07d (git)
Affected: e348544f7994d252427ed3ae637c7081cbb90f66 , < 2f6115ad8864cf3f48598f26c74c7c8e5c391919 (git)
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Linux Linux Affected: 6.9
Unaffected: 0 , < 6.9 (semver)
Unaffected: 6.12.58 , ≤ 6.12.* (semver)
Unaffected: 6.17.8 , ≤ 6.17.* (semver)
Unaffected: 6.18 , ≤ * (original_commit_for_fix)
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{
  "containers": {
    "cna": {
      "affected": [
        {
          "defaultStatus": "unaffected",
          "product": "Linux",
          "programFiles": [
            "drivers/gpio/gpiolib.c"
          ],
          "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
          "vendor": "Linux",
          "versions": [
            {
              "lessThan": "70180a6031056096c93ed2f47c41803268bdd91c",
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "e348544f7994d252427ed3ae637c7081cbb90f66",
              "versionType": "git"
            },
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              "lessThan": "3c91c8f424d3e44c8645ab765a38773e58afb07d",
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              "versionType": "git"
            },
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              "status": "affected",
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              "versionType": "git"
            }
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          "defaultStatus": "affected",
          "product": "Linux",
          "programFiles": [
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          ],
          "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
          "vendor": "Linux",
          "versions": [
            {
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "6.9"
            },
            {
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              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "0",
              "versionType": "semver"
            },
            {
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              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "6.12.58",
              "versionType": "semver"
            },
            {
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              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "6.17.8",
              "versionType": "semver"
            },
            {
              "lessThanOrEqual": "*",
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "6.18",
              "versionType": "original_commit_for_fix"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "cpeApplicability": [
        {
          "nodes": [
            {
              "cpeMatch": [
                {
                  "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                  "versionEndExcluding": "6.12.58",
                  "versionStartIncluding": "6.9",
                  "vulnerable": true
                },
                {
                  "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                  "versionEndExcluding": "6.17.8",
                  "versionStartIncluding": "6.9",
                  "vulnerable": true
                },
                {
                  "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                  "versionEndExcluding": "6.18",
                  "versionStartIncluding": "6.9",
                  "vulnerable": true
                }
              ],
              "negate": false,
              "operator": "OR"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "descriptions": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\ngpiolib: fix invalid pointer access in debugfs\n\nIf the memory allocation in gpiolib_seq_start() fails, the s-\u003eprivate\nfield remains uninitialized and is later dereferenced without checking\nin gpiolib_seq_stop(). Initialize s-\u003eprivate to NULL before calling\nkzalloc() and check it before dereferencing it."
        }
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "cvssV3_1": {
            "baseScore": 7.8,
            "baseSeverity": "HIGH",
            "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
            "version": "3.1"
          },
          "scenarios": [
            {
              "lang": "en",
              "value": "AV:L - The vulnerability is reached only by reading the local debugfs file /sys/kernel/debug/gpio; there is no network or remote path into gpiolib\u0027s seq_file handlers.\nAC:L - The attacker fully controls both required conditions \u2014 memory pressure to make the small GFP_KERNEL kzalloc fail, and unbounded repetition of read()/lseek() on the file, each of which drives multiple start/stop cycles \u2014 so the failure can simply be retried until it lands.\nPR:L - The gpio debugfs file is explicitly created world-readable (mode 0444) and needs no capability, so any unprivileged local user reaches it on the many embedded, automotive, industrial and Android deployments that mount debugfs traversable (mode=755 or uid/gid options), which is common precisely because GPIO debugging is the reason debugfs is mounted there.\nUI:N - The attacker triggers the bug entirely through their own read() calls on the debugfs file; no action by any other user or victim process is needed.\nS:U - The corruption stays within the kernel\u0027s own security authority \u2014 freed slab memory and per-CPU SRCU counters \u2014 with no crossing of a VM, IOMMU or sandbox boundary.\nC:H - gpiolib_seq_stop() reads priv-\u003eidx out of an already-freed kmalloc-16 object, and the accompanying double free corrupts the slab freelist, enabling overlapping allocations that yield arbitrary kernel memory disclosure.\nI:H - The stale idx is fed unvalidated into __srcu_read_unlock(), producing this_cpu_inc() at an attacker-influenced out-of-bounds offset from the per-CPU srcu_data, and the subsequent kfree() of an object owned by another allocation is a classic double-free write primitive.\nA:H - On the first iteration s-\u003eprivate is NULL, so gpiolib_seq_stop() dereferences NULL and oopses; on later iterations the use-after-free, wild per-CPU increment and double free reliably panic the kernel."
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "providerMetadata": {
        "dateUpdated": "2026-08-05T12:09:56.647Z",
        "orgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
        "shortName": "Linux"
      },
      "references": [
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/70180a6031056096c93ed2f47c41803268bdd91c"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3c91c8f424d3e44c8645ab765a38773e58afb07d"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2f6115ad8864cf3f48598f26c74c7c8e5c391919"
        }
      ],
      "title": "gpiolib: fix invalid pointer access in debugfs",
      "x_generator": {
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      }
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  },
  "cveMetadata": {
    "assignerOrgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
    "assignerShortName": "Linux",
    "cveId": "CVE-2025-68167",
    "datePublished": "2025-12-16T13:42:47.480Z",
    "dateReserved": "2025-12-16T13:41:40.250Z",
    "dateUpdated": "2026-08-05T12:09:56.647Z",
    "state": "PUBLISHED"
  },
  "dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
  "dataVersion": "5.2",
  "vulnerability-lookup:meta": {
    "epss": {
      "cve": "CVE-2025-68167",
      "date": "2026-11-02",
      "epss": "0.00152",
      "percentile": "0.04364"
    },
    "nvd": {
      "cve": {
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                "defaultStatus": "unaffected",
                "product": "Linux",
                "programFiles": [
                  "drivers/gpio/gpiolib.c"
                ],
                "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
                "vendor": "Linux",
                "versions": [
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                    "versionType": "git"
                  },
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                ],
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                "vendor": "Linux",
                "versions": [
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                    "versionType": "semver"
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                    "version": "6.17.8",
                    "versionType": "semver"
                  },
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                    "versionType": "original_commit_for_fix"
                  }
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              }
            ],
            "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
          }
        ],
        "cveTags": [],
        "descriptions": [
          {
            "lang": "en",
            "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\ngpiolib: fix invalid pointer access in debugfs\n\nIf the memory allocation in gpiolib_seq_start() fails, the s-\u003eprivate\nfield remains uninitialized and is later dereferenced without checking\nin gpiolib_seq_stop(). Initialize s-\u003eprivate to NULL before calling\nkzalloc() and check it before dereferencing it."
          },
          {
            "lang": "es",
            "value": "En el kernel de Linux, la siguiente vulnerabilidad ha sido resuelta:\n\ngpiolib: correcci\u00f3n de acceso a puntero no v\u00e1lido en debugfs\n\nSi la asignaci\u00f3n de memoria en gpiolib_seq_start() falla, el campo s -\u003e private permanece sin inicializar y es posteriormente desreferenciado sin verificar en gpiolib_seq_stop(). Inicialice s -\u003e private a NULL antes de llamar a kzalloc() y verif\u00edquelo antes de desreferenciarlo."
          }
        ],
        "id": "CVE-2025-68167",
        "lastModified": "2026-10-14T13:10:00.187",
        "metrics": {
          "cvssMetricV31": [
            {
              "cvssData": {
                "attackComplexity": "LOW",
                "attackVector": "LOCAL",
                "availabilityImpact": "HIGH",
                "baseScore": 7.8,
                "baseSeverity": "HIGH",
                "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH",
                "integrityImpact": "HIGH",
                "privilegesRequired": "LOW",
                "scope": "UNCHANGED",
                "userInteraction": "NONE",
                "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
                "version": "3.1"
              },
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              "impactScore": 5.9,
              "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
              "type": "Secondary"
            }
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        },
        "published": "2025-12-16T14:15:48.540",
        "references": [
          {
            "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
            "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2f6115ad8864cf3f48598f26c74c7c8e5c391919"
          },
          {
            "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
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          },
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          }
        ],
        "sourceIdentifier": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
        "vulnStatus": "Deferred"
      }
    },
    "redhat_vex": {
      "aggregate_severity": "Moderate",
      "current_release_date": "2026-10-30T03:18:54+00:00",
      "cve": "CVE-2025-68167",
      "id": "CVE-2025-68167",
      "initial_release_date": "2025-12-16T00:00:00+00:00",
      "product_status:known_affected": "91",
      "product_status:known_not_affected": "185",
      "source": "Red Hat CSAF VEX",
      "status": "final",
      "title": "kernel: gpiolib: fix invalid pointer access in debugfs",
      "url": "https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2025/cve-2025-68167.json",
      "version": "3"
    }
  }
}



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