CVE-2025-38389

Driver teardown disruption via leaked timeline reference

Published Jul 25, 2025 · Updated May 11, 2026

Resource leakage in the Linux kernel i915 driver allows local users to disrupt driver teardown through interrupted ring submissions. In ring_context_alloc(), a failed VMA allocation returns without releasing the acquired legacy-timeline reference, so a later successful call releases only its newer reference. The issue requires the i915 legacy ring-submission path and becomes visible on driver unbind; execlists and GuC use a different allocator.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.18%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Resource leakage in the Linux kernel i915 driver allows local users to disrupt driver teardown through interrupted ring submissions. In ring_context_alloc(), a failed VMA allocation returns without releasing the acquired legacy-timeline reference, so a later successful call releases only its newer reference. The issue requires the i915 legacy ring-submission path and becomes visible on driver unbind; execlists and GuC use a different allocator.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-38389
Published
Jul 25, 2025
Updated
May 11, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
Unavailable
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jul 25, 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=5.4
  2. Affected versionversion=75d0a7f31eec8ec4a53b4485905800e09dc5091f <40e09506aea1fde1f3e0e04eca531bbb23404baf
  3. Affected versionversion=75d0a7f31eec8ec4a53b4485905800e09dc5091f <4c778c96e469fb719b11683e0a3be8ea68052fa2
  4. Affected versionversion=75d0a7f31eec8ec4a53b4485905800e09dc5091f <5a7ae7bebdc4c2ecd48a2c061319956f65c09473
  5. Affected versionversion=75d0a7f31eec8ec4a53b4485905800e09dc5091f <60b757730884e4a223152a68d9b5f625dac94119
  6. Affected versionversion=75d0a7f31eec8ec4a53b4485905800e09dc5091f <a5aa7bc1fca78c7fa127d9e33aa94a0c9066c1d6
  7. Affected versionversion=75d0a7f31eec8ec4a53b4485905800e09dc5091f <c542d62883f62ececafcb630a1c5010133826bea
  8. Affected versionversion=75d0a7f31eec8ec4a53b4485905800e09dc5091f <e47d7d6edc40a6ace7cc04e5893759fee68569f5
  9. Affected versionversion=75d0a7f31eec8ec4a53b4485905800e09dc5091f <f10af34261448610d4048ac6e6af87f80e3881a4

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=5.4; version=75d0a7f31eec8ec4a53b4485905800e09dc5091f <40e09506aea1fde1f3e0e04eca531bbb23404baf; version=75d0a7f31eec8ec4a53b4485905800e09dc5091f <4c778c96e469fb719b11683e0a3be8ea68052fa2; version=75d0a7f31eec8ec4a53b4485905800e09dc5091f <5a7ae7bebdc4c2ecd48a2c061319956f65c09473; version=75d0a7f31eec8ec4a53b4485905800e09dc5091f <60b757730884e4a223152a68d9b5f625dac94119; version=75d0a7f31eec8ec4a53b4485905800e09dc5091f <a5aa7bc1fca78c7fa127d9e33aa94a0c9066c1d6; version=75d0a7f31eec8ec4a53b4485905800e09dc5091f <c542d62883f62ececafcb630a1c5010133826bea; version=75d0a7f31eec8ec4a53b4485905800e09dc5091f <e47d7d6edc40a6ace7cc04e5893759fee68569f5; version=75d0a7f31eec8ec4a53b4485905800e09dc5091f <f10af34261448610d4048ac6e6af87f80e3881a4

Published CVSS scores

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

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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

No sourced classifications are available.

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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