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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2025-38720

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-09-04
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.15.11 / 6.16.2 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: net: hibmcge: fix rtnl deadlock issue Currently, the hibmcge netdev acquires the rtnl_lock in pci_error_handlers.reset_prepare() and releases it in pci_error_handlers.reset_done(). However, in the PCI framework: pci_reset_bus - __pci_reset_slot - pci_slot_save_and_disable_locked - pci_dev_save_and_disable - err_handler->reset_prepare(dev); In pci_slot_save_and_disable_locked(): list_for_each_entry(dev, &slot->bus->devices, bus_list) { if (!dev->slot || dev->slot!= slot) continue; pci_dev_save_and_disable(dev); if (dev->subordinate) pci_bus_save_and_disable_locked(dev->subordinate); } This will iterate through all devices under the current bus and execute err_handler->reset_prepare(), causing two devices of the hibmcge driver to sequentially request the rtnl_lock, leading to a deadlock. Since the driver now executes netif_device_detach() before the reset process, it will not concurrently with other netdev APIs, so there is no need to hold the rtnl_lock now. Therefore, this patch removes the rtnl_lock during the reset process and adjusts the position of HBG_NIC_STATE_RESETTING to ensure that multiple resets are not executed concurrently.

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-667

Shared resources are accessed without correct locking, so concurrent operations interleave into inconsistent — and sometimes exploitable — states, or deadlock the service outright. These bugs are subtle and timing-dependent. The fix is correct, consistent locking or atomic operations around every shared resource.

General guidance for the improper locking 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:>= 6.14, < 6.15.11>= 6.16, < 6.16.2= 6.17

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 6.15.11 / 6.16.2 or later
Fixed in 6.15.116.16.2
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

6.15.11, 6.16.2, or 6.18+ (depending on which branch is in use)

  1. Identify current kernel version using `uname -r`
  2. Determine if the running kernel version is affected: 6.14.x, 6.15.x before 6.15.11, 6.16.0-6.16.1, or 6.17.x
  3. Schedule a maintenance window for kernel upgrade
  4. Upgrade to kernel version 6.15.11 or later for the 6.15.x branch, 6.16.2 or later for the 6.16.x branch, or 6.18 or later for the 6.17.x branch
  5. Reboot the system to load the fixed kernel
  6. Verify the fix is applied by checking the kernel version with `uname -r`
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require rebuild of out-of-tree modules and could introduce other changes; 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 $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

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-38720 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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