Strix
26.1K

CVE-2025-38424

MEDIUMCVSS 5.5/10EPSS 0.17%

Last modified

CVE-2025-38424 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 5.5/10 on the CVSS scale. In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: perf: Fix sample vs do_exit() Baisheng Gao reported an ARM64 crash, which Mark decoded as being a synchronous external abort -- most likely due to trying to access MMIO in bad ways. The crash further shows perf trying to do a user stack sample while in exit_mmap()'s tlb_finish_mmu() -- i.e. while tearing down the address space it is trying to access. It turns out that we stop perf after we tear down the userspace mm; a receipie for disaster, since perf likes to access userspace for various reasons. Flip this order by moving up where we stop perf in do_exit(). Additionally, harden PERF_SAMPLE_CALLCHAIN and PERF_SAMPLE_STACK_USER to abort when the current task does not have an mm (exit_mm() makes sure to set current->mm = NULL; before commencing with the actual teardown). EPSS estimates a 0.17% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: perf: Fix sample vs do_exit() Baisheng Gao reported an ARM64 crash, which Mark decoded as being a synchronous external abort -- most likely due to trying to access MMIO in bad ways. The crash further shows perf trying to do a user stack sample while in exit_mmap()'s tlb_finish_mmu() -- i.e. while tearing down the address space it is trying to access. It turns out that we stop perf after we tear down the userspace mm; a receipie for disaster, since perf likes to access userspace for various reasons. Flip this order by moving up where we stop perf in do_exit(). Additionally, harden PERF_SAMPLE_CALLCHAIN and PERF_SAMPLE_STACK_USER to abort when the current task does not have an mm (exit_mm() makes sure to set current->mm = NULL; before commencing with the actual teardown). Such that CPU wide events don't trip on this same problem.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1
5.5/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

EPSS Probability
0.17%

6.7th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Affected Software

VendorProductVersionsUpdate
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 3.7, < 5.4.295—
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 5.5, < 5.10.239—
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 5.11, < 5.15.186—
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 5.16, < 6.1.142—
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 6.2, < 6.6.95—
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 6.7, < 6.12.35—
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 6.13, < 6.15.4—
LinuxLinux Kernel6.16Rc1
DebianDebian Linux11.0—

References

Timeline

Published
Last Modified
Status
Analyzed

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-38424?
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: perf: Fix sample vs do_exit() Baisheng Gao reported an ARM64 crash, which Mark decoded as being a synchronous external abort -- most likely due to trying to access MMIO in bad ways. The crash further shows perf trying to do a user stack sample while in exit_mmap()'s tlb_finish_mmu() -- i.e. while tearing down the address space it is trying to access. It turns out that we stop perf after we tear down the userspace mm; a receipie for disaster, since perf likes to access userspace for various reasons. Flip this order by moving up where we stop perf in do_exit(). Additionally, harden PERF_SAMPLE_CALLCHAIN and PERF_SAMPLE_STACK_USER to abort when the current task does not have an mm (exit_mm() makes sure to set current->mm = NULL; before commencing with the actual teardown). Such that CPU wide events don't trip on this same problem.
How severe is CVE-2025-38424?
CVE-2025-38424 has a CVSS score of 5.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.17% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2025-38424?
Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2025-38424?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST