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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2025-38055

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-06-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.12.31 / 6.14.9 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click Patch available

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: perf/x86/intel: Fix segfault with PEBS-via-PT with sample_freq Currently, using PEBS-via-PT with a sample frequency instead of a sample period, causes a segfault. For example: BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000195 <NMI> ? __die_body.cold+0x19/0x27 ? page_fault_oops+0xca/0x290 ? exc_page_fault+0x7e/0x1b0 ? asm_exc_page_fault+0x26/0x30 ? intel_pmu_pebs_event_update_no_drain+0x40/0x60 ? intel_pmu_pebs_event_update_no_drain+0x32/0x60 intel_pmu_drain_pebs_icl+0x333/0x350 handle_pmi_common+0x272/0x3c0 intel_pmu_handle_irq+0x10a/0x2e0 perf_event_nmi_handler+0x2a/0x50 That happens because intel_pmu_pebs_event_update_no_drain() assumes all the pebs_enabled bits represent counter indexes, which is not always the case. In this particular case, bits 60 and 61 are set for PEBS-via-PT purposes. The behaviour of PEBS-via-PT with sample frequency is questionable because although a PMI is generated (PEBS_PMI_AFTER_EACH_RECORD), the period is not adjusted anyway. Putting that aside, fix intel_pmu_pebs_event_update_no_drain() by passing the mask of counter bits instead of 'size'. Note, prior to the Fixes commit, 'size' would be limited to the maximum counter index, so the issue was not hit.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis
How this class of weakness works · CWE-476

The code follows a pointer that is null, crashing the process. An attacker who can reliably trigger it turns the crash into a denial of service. The fix is checking for null before use and handling the failure path gracefully.

General guidance for the null pointer dereference class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:>= 6.10.5, < 6.12.31>= 6.13, < 6.14.9= 6.15

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

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

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 6.12.31 / 6.14.9 or later
Fixed in 6.12.316.14.9
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

6.12.31 or 6.14.9 (depending on which major version line you are on)

  1. 1. Identify the current running kernel version using `uname -r`
  2. 2. Check if the version is affected: >= 6.10.5 and < 6.12.31, OR >= 6.13 and < 6.14.9, OR = 6.15
  3. 3. If affected, upgrade the kernel package to version 6.12.31 or later (for 6.10.x-6.12.x kernels), or version 6.14.9 or later (for 6.13.x-6.15.x kernels
  4. 4. On Debian/Ubuntu: `sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install linux-image-<version>`
  5. 5. On RHEL/CentOS: `sudo yum update kernel`
  6. 6. On Fedora: `sudo dnf update kernel`
  7. 7. Reboot the system to load the new kernel: `sudo reboot`
  8. 8. After reboot, verify the new kernel version is running: `uname -r`
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require system reboot and could have compatibility impacts with custom kernel modules or specific hardware drivers; test in staging environment first

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $2,850. Get the upgrade done

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-38055 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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