UBUNTU-CVE-2025-38434
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: Revert "riscv: Define TASK_SIZE_MAX for __access_ok()" This reverts commit ad5643cf2f69 ("riscv: Define TASK_SIZE_MAX for __access_ok()"). This commit changes TASK_SIZE_MAX to be LONG_MAX to optimize access_ok(), because the previous TASK_SIZE_MAX (default to TASK_SIZE) requires some computation. The reasoning was that all user addresses are less than LONG_MAX, and all kernel addresses are greater than LONG_MAX. Therefore access_ok() can filter kernel addresses. Addresses between TASK_SIZE and LONG_MAX are not valid user addresses, but access_ok() let them pass. That was thought to be okay, because they are not valid addresses at hardware level. Unfortunately, one case is missed: get_user_pages_fast() happily accepts addresses between TASK_SIZE and LONG_MAX. futex(), for instance, uses get_user_pages_fast(). This causes the problem reported by Robert [1]. Therefore, revert this commit. TASK_SIZE_MAX is changed to the default: TASK_SIZE. This unfortunately reduces performance, because TASK_SIZE is more expensive to compute compared to LONG_MAX. But correctness first, we can think about optimization later, if required.
02 / AFFECTED SOFTWARE
Affected packages
11 explicit affected versions
50 explicit affected versions
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11 explicit affected versions
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14 explicit affected versions
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12 explicit affected versions
9 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
37 explicit affected versions
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23 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
11 explicit affected versions
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3 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
26 explicit affected versions
7 explicit affected versions
13 explicit affected versions
16 explicit affected versions
3 explicit affected versions
7 explicit affected versions
51 explicit affected versions
18 explicit affected versions
12 explicit affected versions
27 explicit affected versions
8 explicit affected versions
5 explicit affected versions
8 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
7 explicit affected versions
13 explicit affected versions
13 explicit affected versions
7 explicit affected versions
8 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
12 explicit affected versions
5 explicit affected versions
44 explicit affected versions
03 / CONNECTIONS
Connected vulnerabilities
04 / EVIDENCE
Source records
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: Revert "riscv: Define TASK_SIZE_MAX for __access_ok()" This reverts commit ad5643cf2f69 ("riscv: Define TASK_SIZE_MAX for __access_ok()"). This commit changes TASK_SIZE_MAX to be LONG_MAX to optimize access_ok(), because the previous TASK_SIZE_MAX (default to TASK_SIZE) requires some computation. The reasoning was that all user addresses are less than LONG_MAX, and all kernel addresses are greater than LONG_MAX. Therefore access_ok() can filter kernel addresses. Addresses between TASK_SIZE and LONG_MAX are not valid user addresses, but access_ok() let them pass. That was thought to be okay, because they are not valid addresses at hardware level. Unfortunately, one case is missed: get_user_pages_fast() happily accepts addresses between TASK_SIZE and LONG_MAX. futex(), for instance, uses get_user_pages_fast(). This causes the problem reported by Robert [1]. Therefore, revert this commit. TASK_SIZE_MAX is changed to the default: TASK_SIZE. This unfortunately reduces performance, because TASK_SIZE is more expensive to compute compared to LONG_MAX. But correctness first, we can think about optimization later, if required.
05 / REFERENCES
Further evidence
- https://git.kernel.org/linus/890ba5be6335dbbbc99af14ea007befb5f83f174
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/890ba5be6335dbbbc99af14ea007befb5f83f174
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f8b1898748dfeb4f9b67b6a6d661f354b9de3523
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fe30c30bf3bb68d4a4d8c7c814769857b5c973e6
- https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2025-38434
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7833-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7833-2
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7833-3
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7833-4
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7834-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7856-1
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-38434