CVE-2025-38031

Service interruption via padata reference-count leak

Published Jun 18, 2025 · Updated May 23, 2026

Resource leak in the Linux kernel padata subsystem allows local users to exhaust memory through repeated reorder work. In reorder_work, the code increments parallel_data's refcount before queue_work and fails to release it when the work item is already queued. Local low-privileged access is required, and sustained triggering consumes kernel memory and interrupts service.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
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

Resource leak in the Linux kernel padata subsystem allows local users to exhaust memory through repeated reorder work. In reorder_work, the code increments parallel_data's refcount before queue_work and fails to release it when the work item is already queued. Local low-privileged access is required, and sustained triggering consumes kernel memory and interrupts service.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-38031
Published
Jun 18, 2025
Updated
May 23, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jun 18, 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

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

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

  1. Affected versionversion=4c6209efea2208597dbd3e52dc87a0d1a8f2dbe1 <1a426abdf1c86882c9203dd8182f3b8274b89938
  2. Affected versionversion=5.10.235 <5.10.238
  3. Affected versionversion=5.15.179 <5.15.185
  4. Affected versionversion=6.1.129 <6.1.141
  5. Affected versionversion=6.12.13 <6.12.31
  6. Affected versionversion=6.13.2 <6.14
  7. Affected versionversion=6.14
  8. Affected versionversion=6.6.76 <6.6.93
  9. Affected versionversion=6f45ef616775b0ce7889b0f6077fc8d681ab30bc <584a729615fa92f4de45480efb7e569d14be1516
  10. Affected versionversion=7000507bb0d2ceb545c0a690e0c707c897d102c2 <cceb15864e1612ebfbc10ec4e4dcd19a10c0056c
  11. Affected versionversion=8ca38d0ca8c3d30dd18d311f1a7ec5cb56972cac <5300e487487d7a2e3e1e6e9d8f03ed9452e4019e
  12. Affected versionversion=a54091c24220a4cd847d5b4f36d678edacddbaf0
  13. Affected versionversion=dd7d37ccf6b11f3d95e797ebe4e9e886d0332600 <1c65ae4988714716101555fe2b9830e33136d6fb
  14. Affected versionversion=dd7d37ccf6b11f3d95e797ebe4e9e886d0332600 <d6ebcde6d4ecf34f8495fb30516645db3aea8993
  15. Affected versionversion=f4f1b1169fc3694f9bc3e28c6c68dbbf4cc744c0 <b9ad8e50e8589607e68e6c4cefa7f72bf35a2cb1

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=4c6209efea2208597dbd3e52dc87a0d1a8f2dbe1 <1a426abdf1c86882c9203dd8182f3b8274b89938; version=5.10.235 <5.10.238; version=5.15.179 <5.15.185; version=6.1.129 <6.1.141; version=6.12.13 <6.12.31; version=6.13.2 <6.14; version=6.14; version=6.6.76 <6.6.93; version=6f45ef616775b0ce7889b0f6077fc8d681ab30bc <584a729615fa92f4de45480efb7e569d14be1516; version=7000507bb0d2ceb545c0a690e0c707c897d102c2 <cceb15864e1612ebfbc10ec4e4dcd19a10c0056c; version=8ca38d0ca8c3d30dd18d311f1a7ec5cb56972cac <5300e487487d7a2e3e1e6e9d8f03ed9452e4019e; version=a54091c24220a4cd847d5b4f36d678edacddbaf0; version=dd7d37ccf6b11f3d95e797ebe4e9e886d0332600 <1c65ae4988714716101555fe2b9830e33136d6fb; version=dd7d37ccf6b11f3d95e797ebe4e9e886d0332600 <d6ebcde6d4ecf34f8495fb30516645db3aea8993; version=f4f1b1169fc3694f9bc3e28c6c68dbbf4cc744c0 <b9ad8e50e8589607e68e6c4cefa7f72bf35a2cb1

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

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

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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