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Vulnerabilities

Vulnerability · CVE-2025-38554

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm: fix a UAF when vma->mm is freed after vma->vm_refcnt got dropped By inducing delays in the right places, Jan

Published Aug 19, 2025 · catalog updated Aug 5, 2026 · Linux Linux

Check this week

CVE-2025-38554 is not in CISA KEV. FIRST estimates a 17.00% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days. Check whether you run Linux Linux.

Gaps on this record

  • No vendor fix or required action is stored. Compare the linked advisory before you change production.
Severity
High7.8
Known exploitation
Not in CISA/VulnCheck KEV
EPSS
17.00%
Remediation
Vendor / distro source
Affected products
vendor Linux Linux patch: 6.16.1

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm: fix a UAF when vma->mm is freed after vma->vm_refcnt got dropped By inducing delays in the right places, Jann Horn created a reproducer for a hard to hit UAF issue that became possible after VMAs were allowed to be recycled by adding SLAB_TYPESAFE_BY_RCU to their cache. Race description is borrowed from Jann's discovery report: lock_vma_under_rcu() looks up a VMA locklessly with mas_walk() under rcu_read_lock(). At that point, the VMA may be concurrently freed, and it can be recycled by another process. vma_start_read() th

Are you affected?

Enter the version you run. The result uses only the ranges stored on this record.

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  • vendor Linux Linux patch: 6.16.1patch: 6.16.1

How to fix CVE-2025-38554

What to do

Three questions, each answered from this record only. Confirm the vendor advisory before you patch.

Should you patch?

CVE-2025-38554 is not in CISA KEV. FIRST estimates a 17.00% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days. Check whether you run Linux Linux.

Which versions are affected?

Compare what you have installed with Linux Linux patch: 6.16.1 patch: 6.16.1. Compare the installed version with the linked vendor advisory before you change production.

What should an analyst verify?

No weakness class is stored. EPSS 17.00%. There is no CISA KEV listing. No Exploit-DB or Metasploit reference is linked. Use the source links for the original advisory.

Code

The project this record applies to. Exploit listings stay in References.

Timeline

Detection, updates, and resolution for this record.

  1. Aug 19, 2025 · EUVD

    Detected

    In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm: fix a UAF when vma->mm is freed after vma->vm_refcnt got dropped By inducing delays in the right places, Jann Horn created a reproducer for a hard to hit UAF issue that became possible after VMAs were allowed to be recycled by adding SLAB_TYPESAFE_BY_RCU to their cache. Race description is borrowed from Jann's discovery report

  2. Aug 5, 2026 · EUVD

    Updated

    In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm: fix a UAF when vma->mm is freed after vma->vm_refcnt got dropped By inducing delays in the right places, Jann Horn created a reproducer for a hard to hit UAF issue that became possible after VMAs were allowed to be recycled by adding SLAB_TYPESAFE_BY_RCU to their cache. Race description is borrowed from Jann's discovery report

Sources

  • CVE.orgVulnerability recordCVE-2025-38554

    Official CVE identifier

    cve.org
  • EUVDVulnerability recordEUVD-2025-27899

    In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm: fix a UAF when vma->mm is freed after vma->vm_refcnt got dropped By inducing delays in the right places, Jann Horn created a reproducer for a hard to hit UAF issue that became possible after VMAs were allowed

    euvd.enisa.europa.eu

References

Freshness

Last verified in this catalog Aug 5, 2026. Significant claims (KEV, EPSS, CVSS, affected ranges) come from the source rows above — open the original publisher for the authoritative advisory.