CVE-2025-38031
BaseFortify
Publication date: 2025-06-18
Last updated on: 2025-12-18
Assigner: kernel.org
Description
Description
CVSS Scores
EPSS Scores
| Probability: | |
| Percentile: |
Meta Information
Affected Vendors & Products
| Vendor | Product | Version / Range |
|---|---|---|
| linux | linux_kernel | From 5.10.235 (inc) to 5.10.238 (exc) |
| linux | linux_kernel | From 5.15.179 (inc) to 5.15.185 (exc) |
| linux | linux_kernel | From 6.1.129 (inc) to 6.1.141 (exc) |
| linux | linux_kernel | From 6.6.76 (inc) to 6.6.93 (exc) |
| linux | linux_kernel | From 6.12.13 (inc) to 6.12.31 (exc) |
| linux | linux_kernel | From 6.13.2 (inc) to 6.14.9 (exc) |
| linux | linux_kernel | 6.15 |
| linux | linux_kernel | 6.15 |
| linux | linux_kernel | 6.15 |
| linux | linux_kernel | 6.15 |
| linux | linux_kernel | 6.15 |
| linux | linux_kernel | 6.15 |
| linux | linux_kernel | 6.15 |
| debian | debian_linux | 11.0 |
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
| CWE ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CWE-NVD-CWE-Other |
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Powered Q&A
How can this vulnerability impact me? :
This vulnerability can lead to a reference count leak in the Linux kernel, which may cause resource leakage and potentially degrade system stability or performance over time. It could also increase the risk of memory exhaustion or other unintended side effects related to improper resource management in the kernel.
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?
This vulnerability is in the Linux kernel's padata subsystem. A recent patch intended to fix a use-after-free (UAF) issue introduced a reference count leak. Specifically, the parallel_data reference count is incremented unconditionally when queue_work() is called, regardless of whether the work item is actually queued. If the work item is already queued, the incremented reference count is never decremented, causing a leak. The fix involves checking the return value of queue_work() and decrementing the reference count if necessary.
What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?
Apply the patch that fixes the reference count leak in the Linux kernel's padata subsystem by ensuring the return value of queue_work() is checked and the refcount is decremented when necessary. This update resolves the issue of the parallel_data refcount being incremented unconditionally, preventing the leak.