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CVE-2025-38539

MEDIUMCVSS 5.5/10EPSS 0.16%

Last modified

CVE-2025-38539 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 5.5/10 on the CVSS scale. In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tracing: Add down_write(trace_event_sem) when adding trace event When a module is loaded, it adds trace events defined by the module. It may also need to modify the modules trace printk formats to replace enum names with their values. If two modules are loaded at the same time, the adding of the event to the ftrace_events list can corrupt the walking of the list in the code that is modifying the printk format strings and crash the kernel. The addition of the event should take the trace_event_sem for write while it adds the new event. Also add a lockdep_assert_held() on that semaphore in __trace_add_event_dirs() as it iterates the list.. EPSS estimates a 0.16% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tracing: Add down_write(trace_event_sem) when adding trace event When a module is loaded, it adds trace events defined by the module. It may also need to modify the modules trace printk formats to replace enum names with their values. If two modules are loaded at the same time, the adding of the event to the ftrace_events list can corrupt the walking of the list in the code that is modifying the printk format strings and crash the kernel. The addition of the event should take the trace_event_sem for write while it adds the new event. Also add a lockdep_assert_held() on that semaphore in __trace_add_event_dirs() as it iterates the list.

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
0.16%

5.6th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Affected Software

VendorProductVersionsUpdate
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 2.6.31, < 5.4.297—
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 5.5, < 5.10.241—
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 5.11, < 5.15.190—
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 5.16, < 6.1.147—
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 6.2, < 6.6.100—
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 6.7, < 6.12.40—
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 6.13, < 6.15.8—
LinuxLinux Kernel6.16Rc1
DebianDebian Linux11.0—

References

Timeline

Published
Last Modified
Status
Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-38539?
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tracing: Add down_write(trace_event_sem) when adding trace event When a module is loaded, it adds trace events defined by the module. It may also need to modify the modules trace printk formats to replace enum names with their values. If two modules are loaded at the same time, the adding of the event to the ftrace_events list can corrupt the walking of the list in the code that is modifying the printk format strings and crash the kernel. The addition of the event should take the trace_event_sem for write while it adds the new event. Also add a lockdep_assert_held() on that semaphore in __trace_add_event_dirs() as it iterates the list.
How severe is CVE-2025-38539?
CVE-2025-38539 has a CVSS score of 5.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.16% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2025-38539?
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.

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Source: NVD / NIST