CVE-2025-38426: AMD GPU Driver Vulnerability Could Lead to Memory Exhaustion
A vulnerability, identified as CVE-2025-38426, has been found in the AMD GPU driver within the Linux kernel. This flaw could be exploited by a corrupted EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) containing invalid RAS (Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability) header data. If exploited, this can lead to excessive memory allocation, potentially causing a denial-of-service condition.
Vulnerability Details
- CVE ID: CVE-2025-38426
- Description: The AMD GPU driver in the Linux kernel lacks sufficient validation of the RAS header read from the EEPROM. A corrupted header can cause the driver to attempt to allocate an excessive amount of memory for reading records, potentially leading to a denial-of-service.
- CVSS Score: Awaiting Analysis (Likely Medium to High depending on exploitability)
- CVSS Vector: Awaiting Analysis
- Exploit Requirements: Requires a system with an AMD GPU and a corrupted or maliciously crafted EEPROM containing invalid RAS header data.
- Affected Vendor: AMD
- Affected Product: AMD GPU Driver (Linux Kernel)
- Affected Version: Versions prior to the fix (see references)
- CWE: CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits - This CWE describes a situation where software allocates resources (in this case, memory) without properly limiting the amount, potentially leading to resource exhaustion and denial-of-service.
Timeline of Events
- 2025-07-25: CVE ID assigned and vulnerability publicly disclosed.
- TBD: Patch released by AMD/Linux Kernel maintainers.
Exploitability & Real-World Risk
While the technical details are still emerging, the exploitability of this vulnerability depends on the ability to influence the EEPROM contents. In many real-world scenarios, this would require physical access to the system. However, in cloud environments or virtualized setups where firmware images can be manipulated, the risk might be higher. A successful exploit could crash the system or significantly degrade performance, impacting availability.
Recommendations
- Apply Patches: Once available, apply the relevant kernel patches addressing this vulnerability. Monitor security advisories from your Linux distribution vendor.
- Monitor System Performance: Keep an eye on memory usage, especially if you suspect compromised hardware or virtual machines.
- Secure Physical Access: Protect systems from physical tampering to prevent EEPROM corruption.
Technical Insight
The AMD GPU driver reads RAS (Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability) data from the GPU's EEPROM to monitor the health and performance of the GPU. The RAS header specifies the size and format of the subsequent RAS records. A vulnerability exists because the driver doesn't properly validate the fields within this header. An attacker could potentially corrupt or manipulate the EEPROM data to specify an extremely large size for the RAS records. When the driver attempts to read these records, it allocates memory based on the maliciously crafted size. Because the driver doesn’t validate that the size is reasonable, it can allocate more memory than the system has, leading to a memory exhaustion denial-of-service.
Credit to Researcher(s)
This vulnerability was identified and reported by the Linux Kernel security team.
References
Tags
#CVE-2025-38426 #AMD #GPU #Linux #Driver #MemoryExhaustion #DenialofService #Kernel #Security
Summary: A vulnerability exists in the AMD GPU driver within the Linux kernel (CVE-2025-38426). A corrupted EEPROM can cause the driver to allocate excessive memory, leading to a denial-of-service. Apply patches and monitor system performance.
CVE ID: CVE-2025-38426
Risk Analysis: Successful exploitation could cause a denial-of-service, impacting system availability and potentially leading to data loss in certain scenarios.
Recommendation: Apply relevant kernel patches, monitor system performance, and secure physical access to prevent EEPROM corruption.
Timeline
- 2025-07-25: CVE ID assigned and vulnerability publicly disclosed.