CVE-2025-38234

Kernel panic via stale runqueue state

Published Jul 4, 2025 · Updated Aug 5, 2026

Race condition in affected Linux kernel versions allows local users to crash the system through concurrent real-time task migration and wakeup. After find_lock_lowest_rq drops and reacquires runqueue locks, push_rt_task trusts stale task CPU and on_rq state and dequeues a migrated task from an unlocked queue. The path requires local scheduling activity that wins a multicore interleaving; corrupted scheduler lists trigger kernel panics.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.15%
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 versions allows local users to crash the system through concurrent real-time task migration and wakeup. After find_lock_lowest_rq drops and reacquires runqueue locks, push_rt_task trusts stale task CPU and on_rq state and dequeues a migrated task from an unlocked queue. The path requires local scheduling activity that wins a multicore interleaving; corrupted scheduler lists trigger kernel panics.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-38234
Published
Jul 4, 2025
Updated
Aug 5, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
T1499.004
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jul 4, 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=2.6.25
  2. Affected versionversion=e8fa136262e1121288bb93befe2295928ffd240d <07ecabfbca64f4f0b6071cf96e49d162fa9d138d
  3. Affected versionversion=e8fa136262e1121288bb93befe2295928ffd240d <690e47d1403e90b7f2366f03b52ed3304194c793
  4. Affected versionversion=e8fa136262e1121288bb93befe2295928ffd240d <9f6022b2573ae068793810db719e131df3ded405
  5. Affected versionversion=e8fa136262e1121288bb93befe2295928ffd240d <debfbc047196df1f6bfd52f2d028c21dce67f0de

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=2.6.25; version=e8fa136262e1121288bb93befe2295928ffd240d <07ecabfbca64f4f0b6071cf96e49d162fa9d138d; version=e8fa136262e1121288bb93befe2295928ffd240d <690e47d1403e90b7f2366f03b52ed3304194c793; version=e8fa136262e1121288bb93befe2295928ffd240d <9f6022b2573ae068793810db719e131df3ded405; version=e8fa136262e1121288bb93befe2295928ffd240d <debfbc047196df1f6bfd52f2d028c21dce67f0de

Published CVSS scores

5.5OracleCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
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

T1499.004Application or System Exploitation

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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