CVE-2025-37977

What it actually does

The flaw permits the Exynos UFS driver to leave iocc shareability bits enabled when the dma-coherent property is absent, placing the controller in an incompatible cache configuration that produces random cache-related stability failures.

Why it matters to the business

Systems using affected kernels on Exynos hardware risk intermittent storage instability that can interrupt workloads, trigger crashes, or lead to data integrity problems during normal UFS operation.

How an attack unfolds

An attacker or workload triggers UFS DMA activity on a kernel lacking the dma-coherent property; the mismatched iocc bits cause cache incoherency that manifests as random errors or crashes, though no in-the-wild exploitation is recorded.

How to fix it

Apply the upstream fix present in commit 869749e48115ef944eeabec8e84138908471fa51 or any later stable kernel that contains the change; rebuild and deploy the updated kernel image on affected Exynos platforms.

How to confirm the fix worked

Confirm the dma-coherent property is correctly declared in device trees or verify the patched driver code is present after the update; monitor UFS initialization logs for absence of prior misconfiguration warnings.

Typical attack path

1. Identify Exynos-based systems running vulnerable kernels
2. Ensure dma-coherent property is not set for the UFS node
3. Initiate UFS DMA operations through normal storage I/O
4. Observe resulting cache-related instability or crashes

How to detect it

Review kernel boot and dmesg logs for UFS Exynos initialization messages that indicate iocc configuration without dma-coherent; correlate with subsequent cache or storage error events.

What your security team should do

• Prioritize kernel updates on all Exynos UFS systems within standard change windows
• Include the fixed commit hash in automated kernel build pipelines
• Add device-tree validation checks to catch missing dma-coherent properties before deployment