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TI-2025-25559 Aliases CVE-2025-38220GHSA-m9fq-g2m8-9p75

ext4: only dirty folios when data journaling regular files

Priority LOW 24CWE-476Published · Updated

Key facts

Attack vector
Local
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low
Impact type
Denial of service
Confidentiality · integrity · availability
None · None · High
Fix status
Fixed

Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-476.

Summary

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: only dirty folios when data journaling regular files fstest generic/388 occasionally reproduces a crash that looks as follows: BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000 ... Call Trace: <TASK> ext4_block_zero_page_range+0x30c/0x380 [ext4] ext4_truncate+0x436/0x440 [ext4] ext4_process_orphan+0x5d/0x110 [ext4] ext4_orphan_cleanup+0x124/0x4f0 [ext4] ext4_fill_super+0x262d/0x3110 [ext4] get_tree_bdev_flags+0x132/0x1d0 vfs_get_tree+0x26/0xd0 vfs_cmd_create+0x59/0xe0 __do_sys_fsconfig+0x4ed/0x6b0 do_syscall_64+0x82/0x170 ... This occurs when processing a symlink inode from the orphan list. The partial block zeroing code in the truncate path calls ext4_dirty_journalled_data() -> folio_mark_dirty(). The latter calls mapping->a_ops->dirty_folio(), but symlink inodes are not assigned an a_ops vector in ext4, hence the crash. To avoid this problem, update the ext4_dirty_journalled_data() helper to only mark the folio dirty on regular files (for which a_ops is assigned). This also matches the journaling logic in the ext4_symlink() creation path, where ext4_handle_dirty_metadata() is called directly.

Why it matters now

EPSS 0.0017 6th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix Fixed Linux (Linux): 6.6.95, 6.12.35, 6.15.4 +1Red Hat: 2 advisories

SSVC decision points

Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.

Affected products

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed inStatusSource
LinuxLinux6.4 and later6.6.95, 6.12.35, 6.15.4, 6.16Patch availableCNA
  • Linux VendorLinux Affected 6.4 and later Fixed in 6.6.95, 6.12.35, 6.15.4, 6.16 Patch available CNA

CPE configurations NVD · 1

CPEVersionsRoleVendor
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*6.4 to before 6.6.95; 6.7 to before 6.12.35; 6.13 to before 6.15.4VulnerableLinux
  • cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.4 to before 6.6.95; 6.7 to before 6.12.35; 6.13 to before 6.15.4 Vulnerable ·Linux

Remediation

  • Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.6.95, 6.12.35, 6.15.4, 6.16

Red Hat 2 advisories

  • RHSA-2025:20095 Released 2025-11-11 · Red Hat rating Moderate
    kernel security update
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 10) kernel-64k-debug-devel-6.12.0-124.8.1.el10_1, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-6.12.0-124.8.1.el10_1, kernel-64k-devel-6.12.0-124.8.1.el10_1 +12
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 10) kernel-6.12.0-124.8.1.el10_1, kernel-64k-6.12.0-124.8.1.el10_1, kernel-64k-core-6.12.0-124.8.1.el10_1 +29
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 10) kernel-tools-libs-devel-6.12.0-124.8.1.el10_1, libperf-6.12.0-124.8.1.el10_1
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time (v. 10) kernel-rt-6.12.0-124.8.1.el10_1, kernel-rt-64k-6.12.0-124.8.1.el10_1, kernel-rt-64k-core-6.12.0-124.8.1.el10_1 +21
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV (v. 10) kernel-rt-6.12.0-124.8.1.el10_1, kernel-rt-core-6.12.0-124.8.1.el10_1, kernel-rt-debug-6.12.0-124.8.1.el10_1 +9
  • RHSA-2025:15005 Released 2025-09-02 · Red Hat rating Moderate
    kernel security update
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 10) kernel-64k-debug-devel-6.12.0-55.30.1.el10_0, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-6.12.0-55.30.1.el10_0, kernel-64k-devel-6.12.0-55.30.1.el10_0 +12
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 10) kernel-6.12.0-55.30.1.el10_0, kernel-64k-6.12.0-55.30.1.el10_0, kernel-64k-core-6.12.0-55.30.1.el10_0 +28
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 10) kernel-tools-libs-devel-6.12.0-55.30.1.el10_0, libperf-6.12.0-55.30.1.el10_0
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time (v. 10) kernel-rt-6.12.0-55.30.1.el10_0, kernel-rt-64k-6.12.0-55.30.1.el10_0, kernel-rt-64k-core-6.12.0-55.30.1.el10_0 +21
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV (v. 10) kernel-rt-6.12.0-55.30.1.el10_0, kernel-rt-core-6.12.0-55.30.1.el10_0, kernel-rt-debug-6.12.0-55.30.1.el10_0 +11

Vendor assessments

Red Hat

Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →

ProductStatusPlan or fix
Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 10)Fixed RHSA-2025:15005, RHSA-2025:20095
Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 10)Fixed RHSA-2025:15005, RHSA-2025:20095
Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 10)Fixed RHSA-2025:15005, RHSA-2025:20095
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time (v. 10)Fixed RHSA-2025:15005, RHSA-2025:20095
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV (v. 10)Fixed RHSA-2025:15005, RHSA-2025:20095
Not affected: 4 products
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9

Timeline

  1. 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2025-38220
  2. 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-m9fq-g2m8-9p75

References

Patch 4

  • TI-2025-26358 tls: fix handling of zero-length records on the rx_list KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
  • TI-2026-38352 netfilter: bridge: make ebt_snat ARP rewrite writable KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
  • TI-2013-05264 The (1) get_user and (2) put_user API functions in the Linux kernel before 3.5.5 on the… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
  • TI-2022-00125 Integer overflow in kernel KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
  • TI-2013-01864 The perf_swevent_init function in kernel/events/core.c in the Linux kernel before 3.8.9… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
  • TI-2021-05514 Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACE KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.3
See all 15278 →

Sources

This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences