CVE-2025-37878

Kernel warning via uninitialized child event context

Published May 9, 2025 · Updated May 23, 2026

Reachable assertion in affected Linux kernel versions allows local users to trigger a kernel warning through a perf event inheritance error. Within inherit_event(), a child event can enter an error path after pmu_ctx is set but before ctx is assigned, so __free_event() reaches WARN_ON_ONCE(!event->ctx). When low-privileged access can reach the required perf event inheritance path, service is interrupted only on systems configured to panic on kernel warnings.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.26%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Reachable assertion in affected Linux kernel versions allows local users to trigger a kernel warning through a perf event inheritance error. Within inherit_event(), a child event can enter an error path after pmu_ctx is set but before ctx is assigned, so __free_event() reaches WARN_ON_ONCE(!event->ctx). When low-privileged access can reach the required perf event inheritance path, service is interrupted only on systems configured to panic on kernel warnings.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-37878
Published
May 9, 2025
Updated
May 23, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-617, T1499.004
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. May 9, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. May 23, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=1209b0b29fd472e7dbd2b06544b019dd9f9b7e51 <cb56cd11feabf99e08bc18960700a53322ffcea7
  2. Affected versionversion=315a50c6b1c6ce191f19f3372935d8e2ed9b53a6
  3. Affected versionversion=6.12.24 <6.12.26
  4. Affected versionversion=6.13.12 <6.14
  5. Affected versionversion=6.14.3 <6.14.5
  6. Affected versionversion=7ef5aa081f989ecfecc1df02068a80aebbd3ec31 <90dc6c1e3b200812da8d0aa030e1b7fda8226d0e
  7. Affected versionversion=c70ca298036c58a88686ff388d3d367e9d21acf0 <0ba3a4ab76fd3367b9cb680cad70182c896c795c

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=1209b0b29fd472e7dbd2b06544b019dd9f9b7e51 <cb56cd11feabf99e08bc18960700a53322ffcea7; version=315a50c6b1c6ce191f19f3372935d8e2ed9b53a6; version=6.12.24 <6.12.26; version=6.13.12 <6.14; version=6.14.3 <6.14.5; version=7ef5aa081f989ecfecc1df02068a80aebbd3ec31 <90dc6c1e3b200812da8d0aa030e1b7fda8226d0e; version=c70ca298036c58a88686ff388d3d367e9d21acf0 <0ba3a4ab76fd3367b9cb680cad70182c896c795c

Published CVSS scores

5.5UbuntuCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
5.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
7.0Amazon LinuxCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-617Reachable Assertion
T1499.004Application or System Exploitation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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