CVE-2025-38434 Details
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: Revert "riscv: Define TASK_SIZE_MAX for __access_ok()" This reverts commit ad5643cf2f69 ("riscv: Define TASK_SIZE_MAX for __access_ok()"). This commit changes TASK_SIZE_MAX to be LONG_MAX to optimize access_ok(), because the previous TASK_SIZE_MAX (default to TASK_SIZE) requires some computation. The reasoning was that all user addresses are less than LONG_MAX, and all kernel addresses are greater than LONG_MAX. Therefore access_ok() can filter kernel addresses. Addresses between TASK_SIZE and LONG_MAX are not valid user addresses, but access_ok() let them pass. That was thought to be okay, because they are not valid addresses at hardware level. Unfortunately, one case is missed: get_user_pages_fast() happily accepts addresses between TASK_SIZE and LONG_MAX. futex(), for instance, uses get_user_pages_fast(). This causes the problem reported by Robert [1]. Therefore, revert this commit. TASK_SIZE_MAX is changed to the default: TASK_SIZE. This unfortunately reduces performance, because TASK_SIZE is more expensive to compute compared to LONG_MAX. But correctness first, we can think about optimization later, if required.
A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's RISC-V architecture handling has been addressed by reverting a previous change that optimized user address validation. The original modification set the maximum user address to LONG_MAX, under the assumption that all user addresses are below this value. However, this oversight allowed certain invalid addresses to pass through the validation, as they were accepted by the 'get_user_pages_fast()' function, used by components like 'futex()'. The reversion restores the previous TASK_SIZE_MAX value, prioritizing correctness over performance.
Metrics
CVSS 4.0 Severity and Vector Strings:
No CVSS 4.0 data is available for this CVE.
CVSS 3.x Severity and Vector Strings:
No data available for CVSS Version 2.0 on this CVE.
No SSVC data is available for this CVE.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
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| URL | Source(s) | Tag(s) |
|---|---|---|
| https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/890ba5be6335dbbbc99af14ea007befb5f83f174 | kernel.org | Patch |
| https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f8b1898748dfeb4f9b67b6a6d661f354b9de3523 | kernel.org | Patch |
| https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fe30c30bf3bb68d4a4d8c7c814769857b5c973e6 | kernel.org | Patch |
Weakness Enumeration
| CWE-ID | CWE Name | Source |
|---|---|---|
| NVD-CWE-noinfo | Insufficient Information to Classify Weakness | [email protected] |
Affected Products
| Product | Versions |
|---|---|
| linux linux kernel | >= 6.10, < 6.12.36 >= 6.13, < 6.15.5 6.16 rc1 6.16 rc2 6.16 rc3 |
CPE
Remediation
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Change History
4 change records found show changes
| Date | Action | Recorded By |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 30, 2026 | CVE Modified | kernel.org |
| Jun 17, 2026 | CVE Modified | kernel.org |
| Nov 19, 2025 | Initial Analysis | [email protected] |
| Jul 25, 2025 | New CVE Received | kernel.org |