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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2025-38640

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-08-22
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.6.102 / 6.12.42 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: bpf: Disable migration in nf_hook_run_bpf(). syzbot reported that the netfilter bpf prog can be called without migration disabled in xmit path. Then the assertion in __bpf_prog_run() fails, triggering the splat below. [0] Let's use bpf_prog_run_pin_on_cpu() in nf_hook_run_bpf(). [0]: BUG: assuming non migratable context at ./include/linux/filter.h:703 in_atomic(): 0, irqs_disabled(): 0, migration_disabled() 0 pid: 5829, name: sshd-session 3 locks held by sshd-session/5829: #0: ffff88807b4e4218 (sk_lock-AF_INET){+.+.}-{0:0}, at: lock_sock include/net/sock.h:1667 [inline] #0: ffff88807b4e4218 (sk_lock-AF_INET){+.+.}-{0:0}, at: tcp_sendmsg+0x20/0x50 net/ipv4/tcp.c:1395 #1: ffffffff8e5c4e00 (rcu_read_lock){....}-{1:3}, at: rcu_lock_acquire include/linux/rcupdate.h:331 [inline] #1: ffffffff8e5c4e00 (rcu_read_lock){....}-{1:3}, at: rcu_read_lock include/linux/rcupdate.h:841 [inline] #1: ffffffff8e5c4e00 (rcu_read_lock){....}-{1:3}, at: __ip_queue_xmit+0x69/0x26c0 net/ipv4/ip_output.c:470 #2: ffffffff8e5c4e00 (rcu_read_lock){....}-{1:3}, at: rcu_lock_acquire include/linux/rcupdate.h:331 [inline] #2: ffffffff8e5c4e00 (rcu_read_lock){....}-{1:3}, at: rcu_read_lock include/linux/rcupdate.h:841 [inline] #2: ffffffff8e5c4e00 (rcu_read_lock){....}-{1:3}, at: nf_hook+0xb2/0x680 include/linux/netfilter.h:241 CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 5829 Comm: sshd-session Not tainted 6.16.0-rc6-syzkaller-00002-g155a3c003e55 #0 PREEMPT(full) Hardware name: Google Google Compute Engine/Google Compute Engine, BIOS Google 05/07/2025 Call Trace: <TASK> __dump_stack lib/dump_stack.c:94 [inline] dump_stack_lvl+0x16c/0x1f0 lib/dump_stack.c:120 __cant_migrate kernel/sched/core.c:8860 [inline] __cant_migrate+0x1c7/0x250 kernel/sched/core.c:8834 __bpf_prog_run include/linux/filter.h:703 [inline] bpf_prog_run include/linux/filter.h:725 [inline] nf_hook_run_bpf+0x83/0x1e0 net/netfilter/nf_bpf_link.c:20 nf_hook_entry_hookfn include/linux/netfilter.h:157 [inline] nf_hook_slow+0xbb/0x200 net/netfilter/core.c:623 nf_hook+0x370/0x680 include/linux/netfilter.h:272 NF_HOOK_COND include/linux/netfilter.h:305 [inline] ip_output+0x1bc/0x2a0 net/ipv4/ip_output.c:433 dst_output include/net/dst.h:459 [inline] ip_local_out net/ipv4/ip_output.c:129 [inline] __ip_queue_xmit+0x1d7d/0x26c0 net/ipv4/ip_output.c:527 __tcp_transmit_skb+0x2686/0x3e90 net/ipv4/tcp_output.c:1479 tcp_transmit_skb net/ipv4/tcp_output.c:1497 [inline] tcp_write_xmit+0x1274/0x84e0 net/ipv4/tcp_output.c:2838 __tcp_push_pending_frames+0xaf/0x390 net/ipv4/tcp_output.c:3021 tcp_push+0x225/0x700 net/ipv4/tcp.c:759 tcp_sendmsg_locked+0x1870/0x42b0 net/ipv4/tcp.c:1359 tcp_sendmsg+0x2e/0x50 net/ipv4/tcp.c:1396 inet_sendmsg+0xb9/0x140 net/ipv4/af_inet.c:851 sock_sendmsg_nosec net/socket.c:712 [inline] __sock_sendmsg net/socket.c:727 [inline] sock_write_iter+0x4aa/0x5b0 net/socket.c:1131 new_sync_write fs/read_write.c:593 [inline] vfs_write+0x6c7/0x1150 fs/read_write.c:686 ksys_write+0x1f8/0x250 fs/read_write.c:738 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:63 [inline] do_syscall_64+0xcd/0x4c0 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:94 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f RIP: 0033:0x7fe7d365d407 Code: 48 89 fa 4c 89 df e8 38 aa 00 00 8b 93 08 03 00 00 59 5e 48 83 f8 fc 74 1a 5b c3 0f 1f 84 00 00 00 00 00 48 8b 44 24 10 0f 05 <5b> c3 0f 1f 80 00 00 00 00 83 e2 39 83 fa 08 75 de e8 23 ff ff ff RSP:

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

A detailed technical summary for this CVE is being prepared.

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:>= 6.4, < 6.6.102>= 6.7, < 6.12.42>= 6.13, < 6.15.10>= 6.16, < 6.16.1

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 6.6.102 / 6.12.42 / 6.15.10 or later
Fixed in 6.6.1026.12.426.15.10
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

6.6.102+, 6.12.42+, 6.15.10+, or 6.16.1+ depending on your current branch

  1. Identify the current running kernel version using 'uname -r'
  2. Determine which version branch your kernel comes from (e.g., 6.6.x, 6.12.x, 6.13-6.15.x, or 6.16.x)
  3. Upgrade the kernel to the fixed release for your branch: 6.6.102 or later for 6.6.x, 6.12.42 or later for 6.12.x, 6.15.10 or later for 6.13-6.15.x, or 6.16.1 or later for 6.16.x
  4. Reboot the system to load the patched kernel
  5. Verify the fix is applied by checking the kernel version and confirming the nf_hook_run_bpf function uses bpf_prog_run_pin_on_cpu()
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require rebuild of out-of-tree modules; ensure compatible drivers/modules are available before upgrading

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 $1,600. 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

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