CVE-2025-38259

Resource leak via omitted regulator cleanup

Published Jul 9, 2025 · Updated May 11, 2026

Resource leak in the Linux kernel wcd9335 codec driver allows local users to exhaust resources through repeated probe failures or device unbinds. The wcd9335_parse_dt() and wcd9335_power_on_reset() paths acquire and enable all regulator supplies but omit cleanup on terminal errors and unbind. Reachability requires a system using the WCD9335 codec and a probe error or device unbind; repeated events leak memory and leave the regulator enable count unbalanced.

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

Resource leak in the Linux kernel wcd9335 codec driver allows local users to exhaust resources through repeated probe failures or device unbinds. The wcd9335_parse_dt() and wcd9335_power_on_reset() paths acquire and enable all regulator supplies but omit cleanup on terminal errors and unbind. Reachability requires a system using the WCD9335 codec and a probe error or device unbind; repeated events leak memory and leave the regulator enable count unbalanced.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-38259
Published
Jul 9, 2025
Updated
May 11, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jul 9, 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=20aedafdf4926e7a957f8b302a18c8fb75c7e332 <9079db287fc3e38e040b0edeb0a25770bb679c8e
  2. Affected versionversion=20aedafdf4926e7a957f8b302a18c8fb75c7e332 <9830ef1803a5bc50b4a984a06cf23142cd46229d
  3. Affected versionversion=20aedafdf4926e7a957f8b302a18c8fb75c7e332 <a8795f3cd289cd958f6396a1b43ba46fa8e22a2e
  4. Affected versionversion=20aedafdf4926e7a957f8b302a18c8fb75c7e332 <b86280aaa23c1c0f31bcaa600d35ddc45bc38b7a
  5. Affected versionversion=20aedafdf4926e7a957f8b302a18c8fb75c7e332 <edadaf4239c14dc8a19ea7f60b97d5524d93c29b
  6. Affected versionversion=5.1

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=20aedafdf4926e7a957f8b302a18c8fb75c7e332 <9079db287fc3e38e040b0edeb0a25770bb679c8e; version=20aedafdf4926e7a957f8b302a18c8fb75c7e332 <9830ef1803a5bc50b4a984a06cf23142cd46229d; version=20aedafdf4926e7a957f8b302a18c8fb75c7e332 <a8795f3cd289cd958f6396a1b43ba46fa8e22a2e; version=20aedafdf4926e7a957f8b302a18c8fb75c7e332 <b86280aaa23c1c0f31bcaa600d35ddc45bc38b7a; version=20aedafdf4926e7a957f8b302a18c8fb75c7e332 <edadaf4239c14dc8a19ea7f60b97d5524d93c29b; version=5.1

Published CVSS scores

7.8NIST NVDCVSS: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.

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

T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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