Local privilege escalation via ETS queue race
Published Jul 3, 2025 · Updated Aug 5, 2026
Race condition in Linux kernel ETS allows local users to gain kernel privileges through crafted qdisc changes and queued traffic. ets_qdisc_change() flushes backlog accounting and unlocks the qdisc tree before dropping the replaced child, allowing a concurrent SFQ perturb rehash to subtract the same backlog again and underflow the parent's qlen. The path requires local CAP_NET_ADMIN in the qdisc's network namespace; a user namespace can supply that privilege, and exploitation can progress from queue-accounting corruption to a use-after-free and kernel-memory control.
Summary
What happened
Race condition in Linux kernel ETS allows local users to gain kernel privileges through crafted qdisc changes and queued traffic. ets_qdisc_change() flushes backlog accounting and unlocks the qdisc tree before dropping the replaced child, allowing a concurrent SFQ perturb rehash to subtract the same backlog again and underflow the parent's qlen. The path requires local CAP_NET_ADMIN in the qdisc's network namespace; a user namespace can supply that privilege, and exploitation can progress from queue-accounting corruption to a use-after-free and kernel-memory control.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-38107
- Published
- Jul 3, 2025
- Updated
- Aug 5, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 3, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- 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.
- Affected versionversion=5.10.142 <5.10.239
- Affected versionversion=5.15.66 <5.15.186
- Affected versionversion=5.19.8 <5.20
- Affected versionversion=5.4.213 <5.5
- Affected versionversion=6.0
- Affected versionversion=699d82e9a6db29d509a71f1f2f4316231e6232e6 <eb7b74e9754e1ba2088f914ad1f57a778b11894b
- Affected versionversion=b05972f01e7d30419987a1f221b5593668fd6448 <0383b25488a545be168744336847549d4a2d3d6c
- Affected versionversion=b05972f01e7d30419987a1f221b5593668fd6448 <073f64c03516bcfaf790f8edc772e0cfb8a84ec3
- Affected versionversion=b05972f01e7d30419987a1f221b5593668fd6448 <347867cb424edae5fec1622712c8dd0a2c42918f
- Affected versionversion=b05972f01e7d30419987a1f221b5593668fd6448 <d92adacdd8c2960be856e0b82acc5b7c5395fddb
- Affected versionversion=b05972f01e7d30419987a1f221b5593668fd6448 <fed94bd51d62d2e0e006aa61480e94e5cd0582b0
- Affected versionversion=ce881ddbdc028fb1988b66e40e45ca0529c23b46 <0b479d0aa488cb478eb2e1d8868be946ac8afb4f
- Affected versionversion=fb155f6597cd7bc3aeed668c3bb15fc3b7cb257d
- Affected versionversion=fffa19b5e58c34004a0d6f642d9c24b11d213994
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
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