Local memory exhaustion via unreleased ECC configuration
Published Jul 25, 2025 · Updated May 11, 2026
A memory leak in Linux kernel 5.11 allows local users to deplete kernel memory during repeated SPI-NAND device cleanup. spinand_cleanup() fails to call nanddev_ecc_engine_cleanup(), leaving the configuration allocated by spinand_ondie_ecc_init_ctx() unreachable. The flaw requires local low-privileged access and an SPI-NAND device using on-die ECC; repeated lifecycle operations can exhaust memory and interrupt service.
Summary
What happened
A memory leak in Linux kernel 5.11 allows local users to deplete kernel memory during repeated SPI-NAND device cleanup. spinand_cleanup() fails to call nanddev_ecc_engine_cleanup(), leaving the configuration allocated by spinand_ondie_ecc_init_ctx() unreachable. The flaw requires local low-privileged access and an SPI-NAND device using on-die ECC; repeated lifecycle operations can exhaust memory and interrupt service.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-38384
- Published
- Jul 25, 2025
- Updated
- May 11, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-401, T1499.004
- 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
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=3d1f08b032dc4e168f3aefed1e07a63c3c080325 <6463cbe08b0cbf9bba8763306764f5fd643023e1
- Affected versionversion=3d1f08b032dc4e168f3aefed1e07a63c3c080325 <68d3417305ee100dcad90fd6e5846b22497aa394
- Affected versionversion=3d1f08b032dc4e168f3aefed1e07a63c3c080325 <93147abf80a831dd3b5660b3309b4f09546073b2
- Affected versionversion=3d1f08b032dc4e168f3aefed1e07a63c3c080325 <c40b207cafd006c610832ba52a81cedee77adcb9
- Affected versionversion=3d1f08b032dc4e168f3aefed1e07a63c3c080325 <d5c1e3f32902ab518519d05515ee6030fd6c59ae
- Affected versionversion=3d1f08b032dc4e168f3aefed1e07a63c3c080325 <f99408670407abb6493780e38cb4ece3fbb52cfc
- Affected versionversion=5.11
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
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
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
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Book a demo