CVE-2025-37847
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a deadlock vulnerability in the Linux kernel's Intel Versatile Processing Unit (VPU) accelerator driver. The issue occurs when runtime resume fails during cleanup operations, causing the system to hang. This affects Linux systems using the ivpu driver for Intel VPU hardware acceleration.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with ivpu driver enabled
📦 What is this software?
Linux Kernel by Linux
The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...
Learn more about Linux Kernel →Linux Kernel by Linux
The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...
Learn more about Linux Kernel →Linux Kernel by Linux
The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...
Learn more about Linux Kernel →Linux Kernel by Linux
The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...
Learn more about Linux Kernel →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
System becomes completely unresponsive (deadlock) requiring hard reboot, potentially causing data loss and service disruption.
Likely Case
System hangs when specific ivpu driver operations fail during runtime resume scenarios, requiring manual intervention.
If Mitigated
System remains stable as the deadlock condition is prevented through proper locking order.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires triggering specific failure conditions in the ivpu driver's runtime resume path. This is a reliability issue rather than a security vulnerability in the traditional sense.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Patches available in kernel commits: 019634f27a16796eab749e8107dae32099945f29, 7d12a7d43c7bab9097ba466581d8db702e7908dc, 9a6f56762d23a1f3af15e67901493c927caaf882, f996ecc789b5dbaaf38b6ec0a1917821789cbd9c
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/019634f27a16796eab749e8107dae32099945f29
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commits. 2. Reboot system to load new kernel. 3. Verify ivpu driver is functioning correctly.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable ivpu driver
linuxPrevent loading of the vulnerable ivpu driver module
echo 'blacklist ivpu' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-ivpu.conf
rmmod ivpu
Disable Intel VPU hardware
linuxDisable the Intel Versatile Processing Unit hardware in BIOS/UEFI
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Monitor system stability and watch for hangs related to GPU/accelerator operations
- Implement automated monitoring to detect and alert on system hangs
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if ivpu module is loaded: lsmod | grep ivpu. If loaded and kernel version is affected, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Check kernel version includes fix commits or verify ivpu driver version. Test ivpu functionality remains stable.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel panic messages
- System hang/freeze events
- ivpu driver error messages in dmesg
Network Indicators:
- None - this is a local system issue
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("ivpu" OR "deadlock" OR "hang")