Local service interruption via transient kernfs warning
Published Jul 10, 2025 · Updated May 11, 2026
Reachable warning in the Linux kernel allows local users to crash the system when panic_on_warn is enabled during a kernfs removal race. kernfs_should_drain_open_files() treats a transient active-reference count between unbreak and release operations as an invalid draining state. Reaching that narrow timing emits WARN; only systems configured to panic on warnings convert the false positive into a kernel panic and service interruption.
Summary
What happened
Reachable warning in the Linux kernel allows local users to crash the system when panic_on_warn is enabled during a kernfs removal race. kernfs_should_drain_open_files() treats a transient active-reference count between unbreak and release operations as an invalid draining state. Reaching that narrow timing emits WARN; only systems configured to panic on warnings convert the false positive into a kernel panic and service interruption.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-38282
- Published
- Jul 10, 2025
- Updated
- May 11, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 10, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- 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.
- Affected versionversion=6.1
- Affected versionversion=bdb2fd7fc56e197a63c0b0e7e07d25d5e20e7c72 <071d8e4c2a3b0999a9b822e2eb8854784a350f8a
- Affected versionversion=bdb2fd7fc56e197a63c0b0e7e07d25d5e20e7c72 <2d6a67c2b3b87808a347dc1047b520a9dd177a4f
- Affected versionversion=bdb2fd7fc56e197a63c0b0e7e07d25d5e20e7c72 <6bfb154f95d5f0ab7ed056f23aba8c1a94cb3927
- Affected versionversion=bdb2fd7fc56e197a63c0b0e7e07d25d5e20e7c72 <6c81f1c7812c61f187bed1b938f1d2e391d503ab
- Affected versionversion=bdb2fd7fc56e197a63c0b0e7e07d25d5e20e7c72 <72275c888f8962b406ee9c6885c79bf68cca5a63
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
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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