CVE-2025-38536

Unsafe kernel memory access via premature node release

Published Aug 16, 2025 · Updated Aug 5, 2026

Use-after-free in the Airoha NPU driver in Linux 6.15 allows local users to trigger unsafe kernel memory access via failed device lookup. airoha_npu_get() released the device-tree node before checking whether of_find_device_by_node() returned NULL, then used np->name on the error path. Reachability requires the affected driver and a failed platform-device lookup; published material does not identify a controllable trigger or demonstrated consequence.

CVSS severity7.8
High
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

Use-after-free in the Airoha NPU driver in Linux 6.15 allows local users to trigger unsafe kernel memory access via failed device lookup. airoha_npu_get() released the device-tree node before checking whether of_find_device_by_node() returned NULL, then used np->name on the error path. Reachability requires the affected driver and a failed platform-device lookup; published material does not identify a controllable trigger or demonstrated consequence.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-38536
Published
Aug 16, 2025
Updated
Aug 5, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
Unavailable
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 16, 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=23290c7bc190def4e1ca61610992d9b7c32e33f3 <3cd582e7d0787506990ef0180405eb6224fa90a6
  2. Affected versionversion=23290c7bc190def4e1ca61610992d9b7c32e33f3 <df6bf96b41e547e350667bc4c143be53646d070d
  3. Affected versionversion=6.15

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=23290c7bc190def4e1ca61610992d9b7c32e33f3 <3cd582e7d0787506990ef0180405eb6224fa90a6; version=23290c7bc190def4e1ca61610992d9b7c32e33f3 <df6bf96b41e547e350667bc4c143be53646d070d; version=6.15

Published CVSS scores

7.8UbuntuCVSS: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.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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