CVE-2025-38481

Service interruption via oversized COMEDI_INSNLIST count

Published Jul 28, 2025 · Updated May 11, 2026

Resource exhaustion in Linux kernel 2.6.29 through 6.15 allows local users to interrupt service via a crafted COMEDI_INSNLIST ioctl. The handler in drivers/comedi/comedi_fops.c trusts user-controlled n_insns when sizing a kernel buffer, causing an allocation failure, warning, and stack dump for an unreasonable count. Access to a Comedi device node is required; no data disclosure or modification is reported.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.16%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Resource exhaustion in Linux kernel 2.6.29 through 6.15 allows local users to interrupt service via a crafted COMEDI_INSNLIST ioctl. The handler in drivers/comedi/comedi_fops.c trusts user-controlled n_insns when sizing a kernel buffer, causing an allocation failure, warning, and stack dump for an unreasonable count. Access to a Comedi device node is required; no data disclosure or modification is reported.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-38481
Published
Jul 28, 2025
Updated
May 11, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
T1499.004
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jul 28, 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=2.6.29
  2. Affected versionversion=ed9eccbe8970f6eedc1b978c157caf1251a896d4 <08ae4b20f5e82101d77326ecab9089e110f224cc
  3. Affected versionversion=ed9eccbe8970f6eedc1b978c157caf1251a896d4 <454d732dfd0aef7d7aa950c409215ca06d717e93
  4. Affected versionversion=ed9eccbe8970f6eedc1b978c157caf1251a896d4 <69dc06b9514522de532e997a21d035cd29b0db44
  5. Affected versionversion=ed9eccbe8970f6eedc1b978c157caf1251a896d4 <992d600f284e719242a434166e86c1999649b71c
  6. Affected versionversion=ed9eccbe8970f6eedc1b978c157caf1251a896d4 <c68257588e87f45530235701a42496b7e9e56adb
  7. Affected versionversion=ed9eccbe8970f6eedc1b978c157caf1251a896d4 <c9d3d9667443caafa804cd07940aeaef8e53aa90
  8. Affected versionversion=ed9eccbe8970f6eedc1b978c157caf1251a896d4 <d4c73ce13f5b5a0fe0319f1f352ff602f0ace8e3
  9. Affected versionversion=ed9eccbe8970f6eedc1b978c157caf1251a896d4 <e3b8322cc8081d142ee4c1a43e1d702bdba1ed76

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=2.6.29; version=ed9eccbe8970f6eedc1b978c157caf1251a896d4 <08ae4b20f5e82101d77326ecab9089e110f224cc; version=ed9eccbe8970f6eedc1b978c157caf1251a896d4 <454d732dfd0aef7d7aa950c409215ca06d717e93; version=ed9eccbe8970f6eedc1b978c157caf1251a896d4 <69dc06b9514522de532e997a21d035cd29b0db44; version=ed9eccbe8970f6eedc1b978c157caf1251a896d4 <992d600f284e719242a434166e86c1999649b71c; version=ed9eccbe8970f6eedc1b978c157caf1251a896d4 <c68257588e87f45530235701a42496b7e9e56adb; version=ed9eccbe8970f6eedc1b978c157caf1251a896d4 <c9d3d9667443caafa804cd07940aeaef8e53aa90; version=ed9eccbe8970f6eedc1b978c157caf1251a896d4 <d4c73ce13f5b5a0fe0319f1f352ff602f0ace8e3; version=ed9eccbe8970f6eedc1b978c157caf1251a896d4 <e3b8322cc8081d142ee4c1a43e1d702bdba1ed76

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

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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

T1499.004Application or System Exploitation

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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