CVE-2025-38394 Vulnerability Analysis & Exploit Details

CVE-2025-38394
Vulnerability Scoring

Analysis In Progress

Attack Complexity Details

Attack Complexity:
Attack Complexity Analysis In Progress
Attack Vector:
Attack Vector Under Analysis
Privileges Required: None
No authentication is required for exploitation.
Scope:
Impact is confined to the initially vulnerable component.
User Interaction: None
No user interaction is necessary for exploitation.

CVE-2025-38394 Details

Status: Awaiting Analysis

Published on: 25 Jul 2025, 13:15 UTC

CVSS Release:

CVE-2025-38394 Vulnerability Summary

CVE-2025-38394: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: HID: appletb-kbd: fix memory corruption of input_handler_list In appletb_kbd_probe an input handler is initialised and then registered with input core through input_register_handler(). When this happens input core will add the input handler (specifically its node) to the global input_handler_list. The input_handler_list is central to the functionality of input core and is traversed in various places in input core. An example of this is when a new input device is plugged in and gets registered with input core. The input_handler in probe is allocated as device managed memory. If a probe failure occurs after input_register_handler() the input_handler memory is freed, yet it will remain in the input_handler_list. This effectively means the input_handler_list contains a dangling pointer to data belonging to a freed input handler. This causes an issue when any other input device is plugged in - in my case I had an old PixArt HP USB optical mouse and I decided to plug it in after a failure occurred after input_register_handler(). This lead to the registration of this input device via input_register_device which involves traversing over every handler in the corrupted input_handler_list and calling input_attach_handler(), giving each handler a chance to bind to newly registered device. The core of this bug is a UAF which causes memory corruption of input_handler_list and to fix it we must ensure the input handler is unregistered from input core, this is done through input_unregister_handler(). [ 63.191597] ================================================================== [ 63.192094] BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in input_attach_handler.isra.0+0x1a9/0x1e0 [ 63.192094] Read of size 8 at addr ffff888105ea7c80 by task kworker/0:2/54 [ 63.192094] [ 63.192094] CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 54 Comm: kworker/0:2 Not tainted 6.16.0-rc2-00321-g2aa6621d [ 63.192094] Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.16.2-debian-1.164 [ 63.192094] Workqueue: usb_hub_wq hub_event [ 63.192094] Call Trace: [ 63.192094] <TASK> [ 63.192094] dump_stack_lvl+0x53/0x70 [ 63.192094] print_report+0xce/0x670 [ 63.192094] kasan_report+0xce/0x100 [ 63.192094] input_attach_handler.isra.0+0x1a9/0x1e0 [ 63.192094] input_register_device+0x76c/0xd00 [ 63.192094] hidinput_connect+0x686d/0xad60 [ 63.192094] hid_connect+0xf20/0x1b10 [ 63.192094] hid_hw_start+0x83/0x100 [ 63.192094] hid_device_probe+0x2d1/0x680 [ 63.192094] really_probe+0x1c3/0x690 [ 63.192094] __driver_probe_device+0x247/0x300 [ 63.192094] driver_probe_device+0x49/0x210 [ 63.192094] __device_attach_driver+0x160/0x320 [ 63.192094] bus_for_each_drv+0x10f/0x190 [ 63.192094] __device_attach+0x18e/0x370 [ 63.192094] bus_probe_device+0x123/0x170 [ 63.192094] device_add+0xd4d/0x1460 [ 63.192094] hid_add_device+0x30b/0x910 [ 63.192094] usbhid_probe+0x920/0xe00 [ 63.192094] usb_probe_interface+0x363/0x9a0 [ 63.192094] really_probe+0x1c3/0x690 [ 63.192094] __driver_probe_device+0x247/0x300 [ 63.192094] driver_probe_device+0x49/0x210 [ 63.192094] __device_attach_driver+0x160/0x320 [ 63.192094] bus_for_each_drv+0x10f/0x190 [ 63.192094] __device_attach+0x18e/0x370 [ 63.192094] bus_probe_device+0x123/0x170 [ 63.192094] device_add+0xd4d/0x1460 [ 63.192094] usb_set_configuration+0xd14/0x1880 [ 63.192094] usb_generic_driver_probe+0x78/0xb0 [ 63.192094] usb_probe_device+0xaa/0x2e0 [ 63.192094] really_probe+0x1c3/0x690 [ 63.192094] __driver_probe_device+0x247/0x300 [ 63.192094] driver_probe_device+0x49/0x210 [ 63.192094] __device_attach_driver+0x160/0x320 [ 63.192094] bus_for_each_drv+0x10f/0x190 [ 63.192094] __device_attach+0x18e/0x370 [ 63.192094] bus_probe_device+0x123/0x170 [ 63.192094] device_add+0xd4d/0x1460 [ 63.192094] usb_new_device+0x7b4/0x1000 [ 63.192094] hub_event+0x234d/0x3 ---truncated---

Assessing the Risk of CVE-2025-38394

Access Complexity Graph

The exploitability of CVE-2025-38394 depends on two key factors: attack complexity (the level of effort required to execute an exploit) and privileges required (the access level an attacker needs).

Exploitability Analysis for CVE-2025-38394

No exploitability data is available for CVE-2025-38394.

Understanding AC and PR

A lower complexity and fewer privilege requirements make exploitation easier. Security teams should evaluate these aspects to determine the urgency of mitigation strategies, such as patch management and access control policies.

Attack Complexity (AC) measures the difficulty in executing an exploit. A high AC means that specific conditions must be met, making an attack more challenging, while a low AC means the vulnerability can be exploited with minimal effort.

Privileges Required (PR) determine the level of system access necessary for an attack. Vulnerabilities requiring no privileges are more accessible to attackers, whereas high privilege requirements limit exploitation to authorized users with elevated access.

CVSS Score Breakdown Chart

Above is the CVSS Sub-score Breakdown for CVE-2025-38394, illustrating how Base, Impact, and Exploitability factors combine to form the overall severity rating. A higher sub-score typically indicates a more severe or easier-to-exploit vulnerability.

CIA Impact Analysis

Below is the Impact Analysis for CVE-2025-38394, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.

Confidentiality: None
CVE-2025-38394 does not compromise confidentiality.
Integrity: None
CVE-2025-38394 does not impact data integrity.
Availability: None
CVE-2025-38394 does not affect system availability.

CVE-2025-38394 References

External References

CWE Common Weakness Enumeration

Unknown

Protect Your Infrastructure against CVE-2025-38394: Combat Critical CVE Threats

Stay updated with real-time CVE vulnerabilities and take action to secure your systems. Enhance your cybersecurity posture with the latest threat intelligence and mitigation techniques. Develop the skills necessary to defend against CVEs and secure critical infrastructures. Join the top cybersecurity professionals safeguarding today's infrastructures.

Other 5 Recently Published CVEs Vulnerabilities

CVE-2025-54792 – LocalSend is an open-source app to securely share files and messages with nearby devices over local networks without needing an internet connection...
CVE-2025-54424 – 1Panel is a web interface and MCP Server that manages websites, files, containers, databases, and LLMs on a Linux server. In versions 2.0.5 and bel...
CVE-2025-54132 – Cursor is a code editor built for programming with AI. In versions below 1.3, Mermaid (which is used to render diagrams) allows embedding images wh...
CVE-2025-54131 – Cursor is a code editor built for programming with AI. In versions below 1.3, an attacker can bypass the allow list in auto-run mode with a backtic...
CVE-2024-13978 – A vulnerability was found in LibTIFF up to 4.7.0. It has been declared as problematic. Affected by this vulnerability is the function t2p_read_tiff...