CVE-2025-38232

Medium

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: NFSD: fix race between nfsd registration and exports_proc As of now nfsd calls create_proc_exports_entry() at start of init_nfsd and cleanup by remove_proc_entry() at last of exit_nfsd. Which causes kernel OOPs if there is race between below 2 operations: (i) exportfs -r (ii) mount -t nfsd none /proc/fs/nfsd for 5.4 kernel ARM64: CPU 1: el1_irq+0xbc/0x180 arch_counter_get_cntvct+0x14/0x18 running_clock+0xc/0x18 preempt_count_add+0x88/0x110 prep_new_page+0xb0/0x220 get_page_from_freelist+0x2d8/0x1778 __alloc_pages_nodemask+0x15c/0xef0 __vmalloc_node_range+0x28c/0x478 __vmalloc_node_flags_caller+0x8c/0xb0 kvmalloc_node+0x88/0xe0 nfsd_init_net+0x6c/0x108 [nfsd] ops_init+0x44/0x170 register_pernet_operations+0x114/0x270 register_pernet_subsys+0x34/0x50 init_nfsd+0xa8/0x718 [nfsd] do_one_initcall+0x54/0x2e0 CPU 2 : Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at virtual address 0000000000000010 PC is at : exports_net_open+0x50/0x68 [nfsd] Call trace: exports_net_open+0x50/0x68 [nfsd] exports_proc_open+0x2c/0x38 [nfsd] proc_reg_open+0xb8/0x198 do_dentry_open+0x1c4/0x418 vfs_open+0x38/0x48 path_openat+0x28c/0xf18 do_filp_open+0x70/0xe8 do_sys_open+0x154/0x248 Sometimes it crashes at exports_net_open() and sometimes cache_seq_next_rcu(). and same is happening on latest 6.14 kernel as well: [ 0.000000] Linux version 6.14.0-rc5-next-20250304-dirty ... [ 285.455918] Unable to handle kernel paging request at virtual address 00001f4800001f48 ... [ 285.464902] pc : cache_seq_next_rcu+0x78/0xa4 ... [ 285.469695] Call trace: [ 285.470083] cache_seq_next_rcu+0x78/0xa4 (P) [ 285.470488] seq_read+0xe0/0x11c [ 285.470675] proc_reg_read+0x9c/0xf0 [ 285.470874] vfs_read+0xc4/0x2fc [ 285.471057] ksys_read+0x6c/0xf4 [ 285.471231] __arm64_sys_read+0x1c/0x28 [ 285.471428] invoke_syscall+0x44/0x100 [ 285.471633] el0_svc_common.constprop.0+0x40/0xe0 [ 285.471870] do_el0_svc_compat+0x1c/0x34 [ 285.472073] el0_svc_compat+0x2c/0x80 [ 285.472265] el0t_32_sync_handler+0x90/0x140 [ 285.472473] el0t_32_sync+0x19c/0x1a0 [ 285.472887] Code: f9400885 93407c23 937d7c27 11000421 (f86378a3) [ 285.473422] ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]--- It reproduced simply with below script: while [ 1 ] do /exportfs -r done & while [ 1 ] do insmod /nfsd.ko mount -t nfsd none /proc/fs/nfsd umount /proc/fs/nfsd rmmod nfsd done & So exporting interfaces to user space shall be done at last and cleanup at first place. With change there is no Kernel OOPs.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2025-07-04
Last modified 2026-03-17
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-2025-38232 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 5.4.102, 5.10.20, 5.11.3, 5.12 and later are affected. Fixed in 5.15.199, 6.1.162, 6.6.122, 6.12.35, 6.15.4, 6.16 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 5.4.102 ≥ 5.10.20 ≥ 5.11.3 ≥ 5.12
Fixed in
✓ 5.15.199 5.15.x ✓ 6.1.162 6.1.x ✓ 6.6.122 6.6.x ✓ 6.12.35 6.12.x ✓ 6.15.4 6.15.x ✓ 6.16

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2025-38232 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.

6 patch commits total View all on NVD

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2025-38232?

    CVE-2025-38232 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 5.4.102 onward and has been patched in 5.15.199, 6.1.162, 6.6.122 and others. CVE-2025-38232 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2025-38232?

    CVE-2025-38232 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-2025-38232?

    Yes — CVE-2025-38232 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.15.199, 6.1.162, 6.6.122 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 5.4.102 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2025-38232 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2025-38232 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 →

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