CVE-2025-38461

Kernel crash via stale vsock transport pointer

Published Jul 25, 2025 · Updated Aug 5, 2026

TOCTOU race in Linux kernel vsock 5.5 and later affected releases allows local users to crash the kernel through a vsock connection. In vsock_assign_transport(), transport selection can race with module unloading, leaving new_transport stale before it is referenced and called. Exploitation requires local low-privileged access and winning a high-complexity race; the demonstrated consequence is a kernel page fault and service interruption.

CVSS severity7.0
High
EPSS probability0.12%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

TOCTOU race in Linux kernel vsock 5.5 and later affected releases allows local users to crash the kernel through a vsock connection. In vsock_assign_transport(), transport selection can race with module unloading, leaving new_transport stale before it is referenced and called. Exploitation requires local low-privileged access and winning a high-complexity race; the demonstrated consequence is a kernel page fault and service interruption.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-38461
Published
Jul 25, 2025
Updated
Aug 5, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-367, T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jul 25, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 5, 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=5.5
  2. Affected versionversion=c0cfa2d8a788fcf45df5bf4070ab2474c88d543a <36a439049b34cca0b3661276049b84a1f76cc21a
  3. Affected versionversion=c0cfa2d8a788fcf45df5bf4070ab2474c88d543a <687aa0c5581b8d4aa87fd92973e4ee576b550cdf
  4. Affected versionversion=c0cfa2d8a788fcf45df5bf4070ab2474c88d543a <7b73bddf54777fb62d4d8c7729d0affe6df04477
  5. Affected versionversion=c0cfa2d8a788fcf45df5bf4070ab2474c88d543a <8667e8d0eb46bc54fdae30ba2f4786407d3d88eb
  6. Affected versionversion=c0cfa2d8a788fcf45df5bf4070ab2474c88d543a <9ce53e744f18e73059d3124070e960f3aa9902bf
  7. Affected versionversion=c0cfa2d8a788fcf45df5bf4070ab2474c88d543a <9d24bb6780282b0255b9929abe5e8f98007e2c6e
  8. Affected versionversion=c0cfa2d8a788fcf45df5bf4070ab2474c88d543a <ae2c712ba39c7007de63cb0c75b51ce1caaf1da5

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=5.5; version=c0cfa2d8a788fcf45df5bf4070ab2474c88d543a <36a439049b34cca0b3661276049b84a1f76cc21a; version=c0cfa2d8a788fcf45df5bf4070ab2474c88d543a <687aa0c5581b8d4aa87fd92973e4ee576b550cdf; version=c0cfa2d8a788fcf45df5bf4070ab2474c88d543a <7b73bddf54777fb62d4d8c7729d0affe6df04477; version=c0cfa2d8a788fcf45df5bf4070ab2474c88d543a <8667e8d0eb46bc54fdae30ba2f4786407d3d88eb; version=c0cfa2d8a788fcf45df5bf4070ab2474c88d543a <9ce53e744f18e73059d3124070e960f3aa9902bf; version=c0cfa2d8a788fcf45df5bf4070ab2474c88d543a <9d24bb6780282b0255b9929abe5e8f98007e2c6e; version=c0cfa2d8a788fcf45df5bf4070ab2474c88d543a <ae2c712ba39c7007de63cb0c75b51ce1caaf1da5

Published CVSS scores

7.0kernel.orgCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.7NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/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 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

CWE-367Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition
T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

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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