Cloudanix VulnDB

CVE-2025-68236

None

CVSS

—

EPSS

0.2%

Published

Dec 16, 2025

CISA due date

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Cloudanix analysis

Schedule a fix SSVC: Track

A timing issue during storage device power-off on some Linux systems can cause power components to fault, leading to unexpected hardware shutdowns until the software is updated.

Exploitation
Local Privilege
Attacker needs
Local User
Complexity
Moderate
Impact
Denial Of Service
Component
OS kernel
Class
Race Condition
Remediation
Upgrade
Effort
Medium
Patch risk
Low

What it actually does

Missing 10ms delay after hardware reset assertion during UFS power-down sequence on Qualcomm controllers allows regulator to enter low-power mode while device firmware initialization draws high ICCQ current, triggering overcurrent protection fault.

Why it matters to the business

Systems using affected Linux kernels with Qualcomm UFS storage may experience unexpected regulator faults or instability during shutdown or power management events, increasing operational risk on high-prevalence kernel deployments until patched.

How an attack unfolds

An attacker with local access initiates UFS power-down sequences (via shutdown, suspend, or storage management) to hit the timing window between HWRST assertion and regulator mode transition, causing OCP faults; no remote or unauthenticated paths exist and no named threat actors are associated.

How to fix it

Update Linux kernel to commit b712f234a74c1f5ce70b5d7aec3fc2499c258141 or later; for Chainguard packages upgrade argo-cd-fips-2.14, argo-cd-fips-2.14-compat and argo-cd-fips-2.14-repo-server to 2.14.2-r1 or newer.

How to confirm the fix worked

Confirm kernel source contains the 10ms delay after HWRST assertion in ufs-qcom shutdown path; verify regulator remains in high-power mode during the reset window on test hardware.

Typical attack path

  1. Obtain local execution or trigger power management events on target system
  2. Force UFS device into shutdown path that sends SSU command with Power_Condition=3
  3. Assert HWRST and immediately allow regulator framework to request LPM
  4. Induce high-current window during firmware reset to trigger OCP fault

How to detect it

Review kernel logs for UFS shutdown sequences and regulator OCP events around power management activity; no specific post-exploitation artifacts are produced.

What your security team should do

  • Prioritize kernel updates on all systems with Qualcomm UFS controllers within normal patch windows given low EPSS and no KEV status
  • Test power-down sequences on representative hardware after applying the fix
  • Monitor vendor advisories for any additional Qualcomm or UFS-related timing fixes

The record

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: scsi: ufs: ufs-qcom: Fix UFS OCP issue during UFS power down (PC=3) According to UFS specifications, the power-off sequence for a UFS device includes: - Sending an SSU command with Power_Condition=3 and await a response. - Asserting RST_N low. - Turning off REF_CLK. - Turning off VCC. - Turning off VCCQ/VCCQ2. As part of ufs shutdown, after the SSU command completion, asserting hardware reset (HWRST) triggers the device firmware to wake up and execute its reset routine. This routine initializes hardware blocks and takes a few milliseconds to complete. During this time, the ICCQ draws a large current. This large ICCQ current may cause issues for the regulator which is supplying power to UFS, because the turn off request from UFS driver to the regulator framework will be immediately followed by low power mode(LPM) request by regulator framework. This is done by framework because UFS which is the only client is requesting for disable. So if the rail is still in the process of shutting down while ICCQ exceeds LPM current thresholds, and LPM mode is activated in hardware during this state, it may trigger an overcurrent protection (OCP) fault in the regulator. To prevent this, a 10ms delay is added after asserting HWRST. This allows the reset operation to complete while power rails remain active and in high-power mode. Currently there is no way for Host to query whether the reset is completed or not and hence this the delay is based on experiments with Qualcomm UFS controllers across multiple UFS vendors.

Affected packages

Ecosystem Package Introduced Fixed
Linux Kernel 0 6.17.10
Linux Kernel 5.12.0 6.17.10

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