CVE-2025-38153: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: usb: aqc111: fix error handling of usbnet read calls Syzkaller, courtesy of syzbot, i

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: usb: aqc111: fix error handling of usbnet read calls Syzkaller, courtesy of syzbot, i

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: usb: aqc111: fix error handling of usbnet read calls Syzkaller, courtesy of syzbot, identified an error (see report [1]) in aqc111 driver, caused by incomplete sanitation of usb read calls' results. This problem is quite similar to the one fixed in commit 920a9fa27e78 ("net: asix: add proper error handling of usb read errors"). For instance, usbnet_read_cmd() may read fewer than 'size' bytes, even if the caller expected the full amount, and aqc111_read_cmd() will not check its result properly. As [1] shows, this may lead to MAC address in aqc111_bind() being only partly initialized, triggering KMSAN warnings. Fix the issue by verifying that the number of bytes read is as expected and not less. [1] Partial syzbot report: BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in is_valid_ether_addr include/linux/etherdevice.h:208 [inline] BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in usbnet_probe+0x2e57/0x4390 drivers/net/usb/usbnet.c:1830 is_valid_ether_addr include/linux/etherdevice.h:208 [inline] usbnet_probe+0x2e57/0x4390 drivers/net/usb/usbnet.c:1830 usb_probe_interface+0xd01/0x1310 drivers/usb/core/driver.c:396 call_driver_probe drivers/base/dd

Description from the National Vulnerability Database, published by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

What it means for a small business

Linux is on the computers, phones or browsers your team uses every day. Turn on automatic updates and restart: most of these fixes only take effect after a restart.

How likely is an attack? The Exploit Prediction Scoring System, run by FIRST (the global association of security response teams), puts the odds of this one being exploited in the next 30 days at 0.20%, higher than 9% of CVEs. That’s low, but low isn’t zero, and the odds jump the day someone publishes an exploit. Scored October 31, 2026, updated daily.

Check your own setup

Website check: reads what your site runs from the outside (WordPress version, plugins it can see, old server software) and matches it against this database.
Server check: what your web server says about itself, and whether that version has known flaws.

Sources

Part of the Huttenlocher Technologies vulnerability database, refreshed twice a day from CISA and the NVD. The title, category and plain-language guidance are ours; check the linked record before acting on a detail. This is general guidance, not a review of your systems.

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