CVE-2025-38110: Linux kernel · net/mdiobus: Fix potential out-of-bounds clause 45 read/write access
Source GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.1 High.
Data as of 13 Nov 2026, 20:31 UTC
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 3 Jul 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 13 Nov 2026.
What to do
AI-suggested
A fix has been implemented that adds address verification before clause 45 MDIO read/write operations, preventing out-of-bounds access. Users should apply the official Linux kernel patches that include this fix. No other mitigation is indicated.
Description
CVE-2025-38110 is a high-severity vulnerability in the Linux kernel's net/mdiobus subsystem. It involves a potential out-of-bounds read/write access when using clause 45 (C45) MDIO bus operations. The flaw arises because the ioctl interface does not verify the MDIO address parameter, allowing addresses beyond the supported 32 PHY addresses. This can lead to out-of-bounds access in the kernel's statistics array. The vulnerability has been fixed by adding address verification before C45 read/write operations, improving security by preventing invalid accesses.
References
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-38110 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/260388f79e94fb3026c419a208ece8358bb7b555 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/31bf7b2b92563a352788cf9df3698682f659bacc (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/4ded22f7f3ce9714ed72c3e9c68fea1cb9388ae7 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/abb0605ca00979a49572a6516f6db22c3dc57223 (opens in a new tab)