CVE-2025-38584
📋 TL;DR
A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's padata subsystem allows local attackers to potentially crash the system or execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges. This affects Linux systems using the padata parallelization framework, primarily in multi-core server environments.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel
📦 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 →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Local privilege escalation to kernel-level access leading to complete system compromise, data theft, or persistent backdoor installation.
Likely Case
Kernel panic or system crash causing denial of service and potential data corruption.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if padata is not used or systems have strict access controls preventing local user execution.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires local access and knowledge of padata usage patterns; race condition exploitation can be challenging.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Kernel versions with commits 71203f68c7749609d7fc8ae6ad054bdedeb24f91, cdf79bd2e1ecb3cc75631c73d8f4149be6019a52, dbe3e911a59bda6de96e7cae387ff882c2c177fa
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/71203f68c7749609d7fc8ae6ad054bdedeb24f91
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to patched version from your distribution vendor. 2. Reboot system to load new kernel. 3. Verify kernel version after reboot.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable padata module
linuxPrevent loading of padata kernel module if not required
echo 'blacklist padata' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-padata.conf
rmmod padata
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict local user access to systems using padata
- Implement strict privilege separation and limit user capabilities
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and if padata module is loaded: 'lsmod | grep padata' and 'uname -r'Check Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version is updated and check for padata module fixes in kernel changelog📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel panic logs
- OOPs messages related to padata
- System crash dumps
Network Indicators:
- None - local exploitation only
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("padata" OR "UAF" OR "use-after-free")