CVE-2025-38424

MEDIUM
Published Jul 25, 2025 Modified Dec 23, 2025

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.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

5.5
MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Affected Products

Vendor Product
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel
debian debian_linux

References

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. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).
How severe is CVE-2025-38424? +
CVE-2025-38424 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.5 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance.
What products are affected by CVE-2025-38424? +
CVE-2025-38424 affects products from debian, linux, specifically: debian_linux, linux_kernel. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.
How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2025-38424? +
You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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