CVE-2025-38277: mtd: nand: ecc-mxic: Fix use of uninitialized variable ret

Severity: medium (CVSS 5.5 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.2% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2025-07-10 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-908

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mtd: nand: ecc-mxic: Fix use of uninitialized variable ret If ctx->steps is zero, the loop processing ECC steps is skipped, and the variable ret remains uninitialized. It is later checked and returned, which leads to undefined behavior and may cause unpredictable results in user space or kernel crashes. This scenario can be triggered in edge cases such as misconfigured geometry, ECC engine misuse, or if ctx->steps is not validated after initialization. Initialize ret to zero before the loop to ensure correct and safe behavior regardless of the ctx->steps value. Found by Linux Verification Center (linuxtesting.org) with SVACE.

Affected products

Debian Linux: 11.0
Linux kernel: from 5.18 before 6.1.142; from 6.2 before 6.6.94; from 6.7 before 6.12.34; from 6.13 before 6.15.3 — fixed in 6.1.142, 6.12.34, 6.15.3, 6.6.94

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 6.1.142, 6.12.34, 6.15.3, 6.6.94. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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