Kernel panic via sockmap socket lifetime race
Published Jul 3, 2025 · Updated Aug 5, 2026
Use-after-free in Linux sockmap 6.10 and affected stable branches allows local users to panic the kernel by racing socket closure with backlog sends. The backlog worker dereferences sk_socket after sock_map_close releases it because the psock reference is dropped before pending work is synchronized. Reachability requires a socket enrolled in a BPF sockmap and local control of traffic and close timing; successful exploitation interrupts the host.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in Linux sockmap 6.10 and affected stable branches allows local users to panic the kernel by racing socket closure with backlog sends. The backlog worker dereferences sk_socket after sock_map_close releases it because the psock reference is dropped before pending work is synchronized. Reachability requires a socket enrolled in a BPF sockmap and local control of traffic and close timing; successful exploitation interrupts the host.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-38154
- Published
- Jul 3, 2025
- Updated
- Aug 5, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1499.004
- 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=3627605de498639a3c586c8684d12c89cba11073
- Affected versionversion=4959ffc65a0e94f8acaac20deac49f89e6ded52d <4edb40b05cb6a261775abfd8046804ca139a5546
- Affected versionversion=4b4647add7d3c8530493f7247d11e257ee425bf0 <15c0250dae3b48a398447d2b364603821ed4ed90
- Affected versionversion=4b4647add7d3c8530493f7247d11e257ee425bf0 <7c0a16f6ea2b1c82a03bccd5d1bdb4a7bbd4d987
- Affected versionversion=4b4647add7d3c8530493f7247d11e257ee425bf0 <8259eb0e06d8f64c700f5fbdb28a5c18e10de291
- Affected versionversion=5.15.162 <5.15.186
- Affected versionversion=5eabdf17fed2ad41b836bb4055ec36d95e512c50 <b19cbf0b9a91f5a0d93fbcd761ff71c48ab40ed9
- Affected versionversion=6.10
- Affected versionversion=6.1.95 <6.1.142
- Affected versionversion=6.6.35 <6.6.94
- Affected versionversion=6.9.6 <6.10
- Affected versionversion=e946428439a0d2079959f5603256ac51b6047017 <4c6fa65ab2aec7df94809478c8d28ef38676a1b7
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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