Host kernel panic via stale IDXD workqueue
Published Jul 25, 2025 · Updated May 11, 2026
Denial of service in Linux 5.6 and affected later branches allows local users to panic the host kernel through IDXD container teardown. The IDXD user-driver detach path calls destroy_workqueue() after its workqueue has already been destroyed when a Docker /dev mount replica is not propagated. The trigger requires an IDXD workload in a container with /dev mounted and termination of the container's parent process; the bounded result is a call trace or host kernel panic.
Summary
What happened
Denial of service in Linux 5.6 and affected later branches allows local users to panic the host kernel through IDXD container teardown. The IDXD user-driver detach path calls destroy_workqueue() after its workqueue has already been destroyed when a Docker /dev mount replica is not propagated. The trigger requires an IDXD workload in a container with /dev mounted and termination of the container's parent process; the bounded result is a call trace or host kernel panic.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-38369
- Published
- Jul 25, 2025
- Updated
- May 11, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 25, 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=5.6
- Affected versionversion=bfe1d56091c1a404b3d4ce7e9809d745fc4453bb <17502e7d7b7113346296f6758324798d536c31fd
- Affected versionversion=bfe1d56091c1a404b3d4ce7e9809d745fc4453bb <98fd66c8ba77e3a7137575f610271014bc0e701f
- Affected versionversion=bfe1d56091c1a404b3d4ce7e9809d745fc4453bb <aee7a7439f8c0884da87694a401930204a57128f
- Affected versionversion=bfe1d56091c1a404b3d4ce7e9809d745fc4453bb <e0051a3daa8b2cb318b03b2f9317c3e40855847a
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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