CVE-2025-38388
MediumIn the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: firmware: arm_ffa: Replace mutex with rwlock to avoid sleep in atomic context The current use of a mutex to protect the notifier hashtable accesses can lead to issues in the atomic context. It results in the below kernel warnings: | BUG: sleeping function called from invalid context at kernel/locking/mutex.c:258 | in_atomic(): 1, irqs_disabled(): 1, non_block: 0, pid: 9, name: kworker/0:0 | preempt_count: 1, expected: 0 | RCU nest depth: 0, expected: 0 | CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 9 Comm: kworker/0:0 Not tainted 6.14.0 #4 | Workqueue: ffa_pcpu_irq_notification notif_pcpu_irq_work_fn | Call trace: | show_stack+0x18/0x24 (C) | dump_stack_lvl+0x78/0x90 | dump_stack+0x18/0x24 | __might_resched+0x114/0x170 | __might_sleep+0x48/0x98 | mutex_lock+0x24/0x80 | handle_notif_callbacks+0x54/0xe0 | notif_get_and_handle+0x40/0x88 | generic_exec_single+0x80/0xc0 | smp_call_function_single+0xfc/0x1a0 | notif_pcpu_irq_work_fn+0x2c/0x38 | process_one_work+0x14c/0x2b4 | worker_thread+0x2e4/0x3e0 | kthread+0x13c/0x210 | ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20 To address this, replace the mutex with an rwlock to protect the notifier hashtable accesses. This ensures that read-side locking does not sleep and multiple readers can acquire the lock concurrently, avoiding unnecessary contention and potential deadlocks. Writer access remains exclusive, preserving correctness. This change resolves warnings from lockdep about potential sleep in atomic context.
CVSS 3.1 score
5.5
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness type
CWE-667CVE-2025-38388 is a Improper Locking vulnerability
What is Improper Locking?
The product does not properly acquire or release a lock, which can lead to unexpected behaviour. Learn more on MITRE CWE
Affected versions
Linux kernel versions
6.7
and later are affected. Fixed in
6.12.37,
6.15.6,
6.16
and their respective stable series.
References
The following references provide additional information about CVE-2025-38388 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.
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PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/31405510a48dcf054abfa5b7b8d70ce1b27d1f13
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PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8986f8f61b482c0e6efd28f0b2423d9640c20eb1
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PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9ca7a421229bbdfbe2e1e628cff5cfa782720a10
Frequently asked questions
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What is CVE-2025-38388?
CVE-2025-38388 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10 , classified as an Improper Locking flaw (CWE-667) . It affects Linux kernel versions from 6.7 onward and has been patched in 6.12.37, 6.15.6 and 6.16. CVE-2025-38388 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
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What is the CVSS score for CVE-2025-38388?
CVE-2025-38388 has a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, rated Medium severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H. -
Is there a patch available for CVE-2025-38388?
Yes — CVE-2025-38388 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.12.37, 6.15.6 and 6.16. If you are running Linux kernel 6.7 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
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Is CVE-2025-38388 actively exploited?
No — CVE-2025-38388 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.
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What is Improper Locking (CWE-667)?
The product does not properly acquire or release a lock, which can lead to unexpected behaviour. View CWE-667 on MITRE CWE →