CVE-2025-37938

Kernel crash via skipped trace format validation

Published May 20, 2025 · Updated Aug 5, 2026

Use-after-free in Linux kernel tracing from 5.13 allows local users to disclose kernel memory or crash the kernel through tracefs. The event verifier skips width-qualified pointer conversions such as "%*p..", allowing an event to retain a pointer to allocation-backed data that is freed before the trace buffer is read. Access to configure and read tracefs is required; the stale-pointer dereference exposes kernel memory or crashes the host without modifying data.

CVSS severity7.1
High
EPSS probability0.19%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Use-after-free in Linux kernel tracing from 5.13 allows local users to disclose kernel memory or crash the kernel through tracefs. The event verifier skips width-qualified pointer conversions such as "%*p..", allowing an event to retain a pointer to allocation-backed data that is freed before the trace buffer is read. Access to configure and read tracefs is required; the stale-pointer dereference exposes kernel memory or crashes the host without modifying data.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-37938
Published
May 20, 2025
Updated
Aug 5, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-416, T1499.004
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. May 20, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 5, 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=5013f454a352cce8e62162976026a9c472595e42 <03127354027508d076073b020d3070990fd6a958
  2. Affected versionversion=5013f454a352cce8e62162976026a9c472595e42 <04b80d45ecfaf780981d6582899e3ab205e4aa08
  3. Affected versionversion=5013f454a352cce8e62162976026a9c472595e42 <4d11fac941d83509be4e6a21038281d6d96da50c
  4. Affected versionversion=5013f454a352cce8e62162976026a9c472595e42 <6854c87ac823181c810f8c07489ba543260c0023
  5. Affected versionversion=5013f454a352cce8e62162976026a9c472595e42 <c7204fd1758c0caf1938e8a59809a1fdf28a8114
  6. Affected versionversion=5013f454a352cce8e62162976026a9c472595e42 <ea8d7647f9ddf1f81e2027ed305299797299aa03
  7. Affected versionversion=5.13

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=5013f454a352cce8e62162976026a9c472595e42 <03127354027508d076073b020d3070990fd6a958; version=5013f454a352cce8e62162976026a9c472595e42 <04b80d45ecfaf780981d6582899e3ab205e4aa08; version=5013f454a352cce8e62162976026a9c472595e42 <4d11fac941d83509be4e6a21038281d6d96da50c; version=5013f454a352cce8e62162976026a9c472595e42 <6854c87ac823181c810f8c07489ba543260c0023; version=5013f454a352cce8e62162976026a9c472595e42 <c7204fd1758c0caf1938e8a59809a1fdf28a8114; version=5013f454a352cce8e62162976026a9c472595e42 <ea8d7647f9ddf1f81e2027ed305299797299aa03; version=5.13

Published CVSS scores

7.1kernel.orgCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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
5.5Canonical UbuntuCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-416Use After Free
T1499.004Application or System Exploitation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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