CVE-2025-38008

Local denial of service via static-key race

Published Jun 18, 2025 · Updated May 11, 2026

Race condition in affected Linux kernel branches starting at 6.5 allows local users to crash the system through unaccepted-memory handling. The mm/page_alloc zone accounting updates its static branch without serialization against concurrent additions or removals of unaccepted pages, allowing a decrement to race the first increment. Exploitation requires local low-privileged access on a system using unaccepted memory and a high-complexity race; successful triggering interrupts availability by crashing the kernel.

CVSS severity4.7
Medium
EPSS probability0.13%
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 affected Linux kernel branches starting at 6.5 allows local users to crash the system through unaccepted-memory handling. The mm/page_alloc zone accounting updates its static branch without serialization against concurrent additions or removals of unaccepted pages, allowing a decrement to race the first increment. Exploitation requires local low-privileged access on a system using unaccepted memory and a high-complexity race; successful triggering interrupts availability by crashing the kernel.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-38008
Published
Jun 18, 2025
Updated
May 11, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-362, T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jun 18, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. May 11, 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=dcdfdd40fa82b6704d2841938e5c8ec3051eb0d6 <71dda1cb10702dc2859f00eb789b0502de2176a9
  3. Affected versionversion=dcdfdd40fa82b6704d2841938e5c8ec3051eb0d6 <74953f93f47a45296cc2a3fd04e2a3202ff3fa53
  4. Affected versionversion=dcdfdd40fa82b6704d2841938e5c8ec3051eb0d6 <98fdd2f612e949c652693f6df00442c81037776d
  5. Affected versionversion=dcdfdd40fa82b6704d2841938e5c8ec3051eb0d6 <fefc075182275057ce607effaa3daa9e6e3bdc73

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=6.5; version=dcdfdd40fa82b6704d2841938e5c8ec3051eb0d6 <71dda1cb10702dc2859f00eb789b0502de2176a9; version=dcdfdd40fa82b6704d2841938e5c8ec3051eb0d6 <74953f93f47a45296cc2a3fd04e2a3202ff3fa53; version=dcdfdd40fa82b6704d2841938e5c8ec3051eb0d6 <98fdd2f612e949c652693f6df00442c81037776d; version=dcdfdd40fa82b6704d2841938e5c8ec3051eb0d6 <fefc075182275057ce607effaa3daa9e6e3bdc73

Published CVSS scores

4.7NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/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

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

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

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-362Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition')
T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

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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