CVE-2025-37988

Local privilege escalation via mountpoint lifetime races

Published May 20, 2025 · Updated Aug 5, 2026

Race condition in the Linux kernel allows local users to gain kernel privileges by racing MNT_TREE_BENEATH mount operations. In do_lock_mount, the code releases mount_lock without jointly retaining the parent mount and dentry, allowing concurrent move or unmount activity to tear down the filesystem before inode_lock uses those objects; unlock_mount also releases the dentry pin too early. An ordinary local user can obtain the required namespace-scoped capability and retry the race, producing use-after-free primitives for kernel-memory access and control-flow hijacking or causing a kernel panic.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.14%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Race condition in the Linux kernel allows local users to gain kernel privileges by racing MNT_TREE_BENEATH mount operations. In do_lock_mount, the code releases mount_lock without jointly retaining the parent mount and dentry, allowing concurrent move or unmount activity to tear down the filesystem before inode_lock uses those objects; unlock_mount also releases the dentry pin too early. An ordinary local user can obtain the required namespace-scoped capability and retry the race, producing use-after-free primitives for kernel-memory access and control-flow hijacking or causing a kernel panic.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-37988
Published
May 20, 2025
Updated
Aug 5, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
T1068
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=6.5
  2. Affected versionversion=6ac392815628f317fcfdca1a39df00b9cc4ebc8b <0d039eac6e5950f9d1ecc9e410c2fd1feaeab3b6
  3. Affected versionversion=6ac392815628f317fcfdca1a39df00b9cc4ebc8b <4f435c1f4c48ff84968e2d9159f6fa41f46cf998
  4. Affected versionversion=6ac392815628f317fcfdca1a39df00b9cc4ebc8b <a61afd54826ac24c2c93845c4f441dbc344875b1
  5. Affected versionversion=6ac392815628f317fcfdca1a39df00b9cc4ebc8b <d4b21e8cd3d7efa2deb9cff534f0133e84f35086

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=6.5; version=6ac392815628f317fcfdca1a39df00b9cc4ebc8b <0d039eac6e5950f9d1ecc9e410c2fd1feaeab3b6; version=6ac392815628f317fcfdca1a39df00b9cc4ebc8b <4f435c1f4c48ff84968e2d9159f6fa41f46cf998; version=6ac392815628f317fcfdca1a39df00b9cc4ebc8b <a61afd54826ac24c2c93845c4f441dbc344875b1; version=6ac392815628f317fcfdca1a39df00b9cc4ebc8b <d4b21e8cd3d7efa2deb9cff534f0133e84f35086

Published CVSS scores

7.8LinuxCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/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 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

T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

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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