CVE-2025-22003: can: ucan: fix out of bound read in strscpy() source
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
can: ucan: fix out of bound read in strscpy() source
Commit 7fdaf8966aae ("can: ucan: use strscpy() to instead of strncpy()") unintentionally introduced a one byte out of bound read on strscpy()'s source argument (which is kind of ironic knowing that strscpy() is meant to be a more secure alternative :)).
Let's consider below buffers:
dest[len + 1]; / will be NUL terminated / src[len]; / may not be NUL terminated /
When doing:
strncpy(dest, src, len); dest[len] = '\0';
strncpy() will read up to len bytes from src.
On the other hand:
strscpy(dest, src, len + 1);
will read up to len + 1 bytes from src, that is to say, an out of bound read of one byte will occur on src if it is not NUL terminated. Note that the src[len] byte is never copied, but strscpy() still needs to read it to check whether a truncation occurred or not.
This exact pattern happened in ucan.
The root cause is that the source is not NUL terminated. Instead of doing a copy in a local buffer, directly NUL terminate it as soon as usbcontrolmsg() returns. With this, the local firmwarestr[] variable can be removed.
On top of this do a couple refactors:
- ucanctlpayload->raw is only used for the firmware string, so rename it to ucanctlpayload->fwstr and change its type from u8 to char.
- ucandevicerequestin() is only used to retrieve the firmware string, so rename it to ucangetfwstr() and refactor it to make it directly handle all the string termination logic.
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade to a fixed release to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Patch 7fdaf8966aae
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2025-22003?
CVE-2025-22003 has been assigned a high severity level due to the potential for an out-of-bounds read in the Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2025-22003?
To fix CVE-2025-22003, update the Linux kernel to the latest version where this vulnerability has been resolved.
What are the potential impacts of CVE-2025-22003?
The potential impacts of CVE-2025-22003 include security breaches through out-of-bounds reads which could lead to data leaks or instability.
Which versions of the Linux kernel are affected by CVE-2025-22003?
CVE-2025-22003 affects specific versions of the Linux kernel where the strscpy() function was improperly implemented.
How can I confirm if my system is vulnerable to CVE-2025-22003?
You can confirm if your system is vulnerable to CVE-2025-22003 by checking your Linux kernel version and the corresponding security advisories.