CVE-2025-38452

Kernel crash via unchecked PTP allocation failure

Published Jul 25, 2025 · Updated May 11, 2026

A null pointer dereference in the Linux kernel rtsn Ethernet driver from 6.11 allows local users to crash the system during device probing. rtsn_probe uses the result of rcar_gen4_ptp_alloc without first checking whether allocation failed, so subsequent access dereferences an invalid pointer. Reachability requires the affected Renesas driver to probe compatible hardware and an allocation failure; the bounded impact is a kernel crash.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
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

A null pointer dereference in the Linux kernel rtsn Ethernet driver from 6.11 allows local users to crash the system during device probing. rtsn_probe uses the result of rcar_gen4_ptp_alloc without first checking whether allocation failed, so subsequent access dereferences an invalid pointer. Reachability requires the affected Renesas driver to probe compatible hardware and an allocation failure; the bounded impact is a kernel crash.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-38452
Published
Jul 25, 2025
Updated
May 11, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-476
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=6.11
  2. Affected versionversion=b0d3969d2b4db82602492cad576b8de494a12ddf <95a234f6affbf51f06338383537ab80d637bb785
  3. Affected versionversion=b0d3969d2b4db82602492cad576b8de494a12ddf <9f260e16b297f8134c5f90bb5a20e805ff57e853
  4. Affected versionversion=b0d3969d2b4db82602492cad576b8de494a12ddf <d52eb4f0e0ca9a5213b8795abbeb11a325d9b22d

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=6.11; version=b0d3969d2b4db82602492cad576b8de494a12ddf <95a234f6affbf51f06338383537ab80d637bb785; version=b0d3969d2b4db82602492cad576b8de494a12ddf <9f260e16b297f8134c5f90bb5a20e805ff57e853; version=b0d3969d2b4db82602492cad576b8de494a12ddf <d52eb4f0e0ca9a5213b8795abbeb11a325d9b22d

Published CVSS scores

5.5UbuntuCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-476NULL Pointer Dereference

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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