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5.5
MEDIUM CVSS 3.1
CVE-2025-38539
tracing: Add down_write(trace_event_sem) when adding trace event
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.

INFO

Published Date :

Aug. 16, 2025, 12:15 p.m.

Last Modified :

Jan. 7, 2026, 6:42 p.m.

Remotely Exploit :

No

Source :

416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2025-38539 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

ID Vendor Product Action
1 Linux linux_kernel
1 Debian debian_linux
: Total Affected Vendor : 2 | Products : 2
CVSS Scores
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is a standardized framework for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities in software and systems. We collect and displays CVSS scores from various sources for each CVE.
Score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Score Impact Score Source
CVSS 3.1 MEDIUM [email protected]
Solution
Kernel trace event handling improved with semaphore locking to prevent crashes.
  • Update the Linux kernel to a patched version.
  • Apply the security update for the kernel.
  • Ensure proper synchronization for trace event modifications.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools

Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to CVE-2025-38539.

URL Resource
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/33e20747b47ddc03569b6bc27a2d6894c1428182 Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6bc94f20a4c304997288f9a45278c9d0c06987d3 Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/70fecd519caad0c1741c3379d5348c9000a5b29d Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7803b28c9aa8d8bd4e19ebcf5f0db9612b0f333b Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b5e8acc14dcb314a9b61ff19dcd9fdd0d88f70df Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ca60064ea03f14e06c763de018403cb56ba3207d Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/db45632479ceecb669612ed8dbce927e3c6279fc Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e70f5ee4c8824736332351b703c46f9469ed7f6c Patch
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/10/msg00007.html Third Party Advisory Mailing List
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/10/msg00008.html Third Party Advisory Mailing List
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2025-38539 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2025-38539 weaknesses.

We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).

Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.

The following list is the news that have been mention CVE-2025-38539 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

Results are limited to the first 20 news articles due to potential performance issues.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2025-38539 vulnerability over time.

Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.

  • Initial Analysis by [email protected]

    Jan. 07, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
    Added CWE NVD-CWE-noinfo
    Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 5.11 up to (excluding) 5.15.190 *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 5.5 up to (excluding) 5.10.241 *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 6.13 up to (excluding) 6.15.8 *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 6.7 up to (excluding) 6.12.40 *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 5.16 up to (excluding) 6.1.147 *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 6.2 up to (excluding) 6.6.100 *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 2.6.31 up to (excluding) 5.4.297
    Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/33e20747b47ddc03569b6bc27a2d6894c1428182 Types: Patch
    Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6bc94f20a4c304997288f9a45278c9d0c06987d3 Types: Patch
    Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/70fecd519caad0c1741c3379d5348c9000a5b29d Types: Patch
    Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7803b28c9aa8d8bd4e19ebcf5f0db9612b0f333b Types: Patch
    Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b5e8acc14dcb314a9b61ff19dcd9fdd0d88f70df Types: Patch
    Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ca60064ea03f14e06c763de018403cb56ba3207d Types: Patch
    Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/db45632479ceecb669612ed8dbce927e3c6279fc Types: Patch
    Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e70f5ee4c8824736332351b703c46f9469ed7f6c Types: Patch
    Added Reference Type CVE: https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/10/msg00007.html Types: Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
    Added Reference Type CVE: https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/10/msg00008.html Types: Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
  • CVE Modified by af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108

    Nov. 03, 2025

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Reference https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/10/msg00007.html
    Added Reference https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/10/msg00008.html
  • CVE Modified by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

    Aug. 28, 2025

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ca60064ea03f14e06c763de018403cb56ba3207d
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/db45632479ceecb669612ed8dbce927e3c6279fc
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e70f5ee4c8824736332351b703c46f9469ed7f6c
  • New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

    Aug. 16, 2025

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added 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.
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/33e20747b47ddc03569b6bc27a2d6894c1428182
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6bc94f20a4c304997288f9a45278c9d0c06987d3
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/70fecd519caad0c1741c3379d5348c9000a5b29d
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7803b28c9aa8d8bd4e19ebcf5f0db9612b0f333b
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b5e8acc14dcb314a9b61ff19dcd9fdd0d88f70df
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.
Vulnerability Scoring Details
Base CVSS Score: 5.5
Attack Vector
Attack Complexity
Privileges Required
User Interaction
Scope
Confidentiality Impact
Integrity Impact
Availability Impact