CVE-2025-38078

Medium

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ALSA: pcm: Fix race of buffer access at PCM OSS layer The PCM OSS layer tries to clear the buffer with the silence data at initialization (or reconfiguration) of a stream with the explicit call of snd_pcm_format_set_silence() with runtime->dma_area. But this may lead to a UAF because the accessed runtime->dma_area might be freed concurrently, as it's performed outside the PCM ops. For avoiding it, move the code into the PCM core and perform it inside the buffer access lock, so that it won't be changed during the operation.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2025-06-18
Last modified 2025-12-17
CVSS version 3.1
Patch available
Yes

CVSS 3.1 score

4.7

out of 10
Medium
Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
High
Vector string
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Weakness type

CWE-362

CVE-2025-38078 is a Race Condition vulnerability

What is Race Condition?

The product contains a code sequence that can run concurrently with other code, creating unexpected states. Learn more on MITRE CWE

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 2.6.12 and later are affected. Fixed in 5.4.294, 5.10.238, 5.15.185, 6.1.141, 6.6.93, 6.12.31, 6.14.9, 6.15 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 2.6.12
Fixed in
✓ 5.4.294 5.4.x ✓ 5.10.238 5.10.x ✓ 5.15.185 5.15.x ✓ 6.1.141 6.1.x ✓ 6.6.93 6.6.x ✓ 6.12.31 6.12.x ✓ 6.14.9 6.14.x ✓ 6.15

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2025-38078 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2025-38078?

    CVE-2025-38078 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 4.7 out of 10 , classified as a Race Condition flaw (CWE-362) . It affects Linux kernel versions from 2.6.12 onward and has been patched in 5.4.294, 5.10.238, 5.15.185 and others. CVE-2025-38078 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2025-38078?

    CVE-2025-38078 has a CVSS score of 4.7 out of 10, rated Medium severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H .

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2025-38078?

    Yes — CVE-2025-38078 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.4.294, 5.10.238, 5.15.185 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 2.6.12 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2025-38078 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2025-38078 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.

  • What is Race Condition (CWE-362)?

    The product contains a code sequence that can run concurrently with other code, creating unexpected states. View CWE-362 on MITRE CWE →