CVE-2025-38712: hfsplus: don't use BUG_ON() in hfsplus_create_attributes_file()

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: 2025-09-04 · updated 2026-10-19
Weakness: CWE-617

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: hfsplus: don't use BUG_ON() in hfsplus_create_attributes_file() When the volume header contains erroneous values that do not reflect the actual state of the filesystem, hfsplus_fill_super() assumes that the attributes file is not yet created, which later results in hitting BUG_ON() when hfsplus_create_attributes_file() is called. Replace this BUG_ON() with -EIO error with a message to suggest running fsck tool.

Affected products

Debian Linux: 11.0
Linux kernel: from 3.13 before 5.4.297; from 5.5 before 5.10.241; from 5.11 before 5.15.190; from 5.16 before 6.1.149; from 6.2 before 6.6.103; from 6.7 before 6.12.43 — fixed in 5.10.241, 5.15.190, 5.4.297, 6.1.149, 6.12.43, 6.15.11

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 5.10.241, 5.15.190, 5.4.297, 6.1.149. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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