CVE CVE

CVE-2025-38352

CISA Known Exploited Vulnerability (KEV)

Linux Kernel Time-of-Check Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) Race Condition Vulnerability

September 4, 2025

September 25, 2025

Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

posix-cpu-timers: fix race between handle_posix_cpu_timers() and posix_cpu_timer_del()

If an exiting non-autoreaping task has already passed exit_notify() and
calls handle_posix_cpu_timers() from IRQ, it can be reaped by its parent
or debugger right after unlock_task_sighand().

If a concurrent posix_cpu_timer_del() runs at that moment, it won’t be
able to detect timer->it.cpu.firing != 0: cpu_timer_task_rcu() and/or
lock_task_sighand() will fail.

Add the tsk->exit_state check into run_posix_cpu_timers() to fix this.

This fix is not needed if CONFIG_POSIX_CPU_TIMERS_TASK_WORK=y, because
exit_task_work() is called before exit_notify(). But the check still
makes sense, task_work_add(&tsk->posix_cputimers_work.work) will fail
anyway in this case.

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-ID CWE Name

CWE-367
Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition

Details

Source:
NVD
Published:
Updated:

Risk information

CVSS v3

Base score:
7.4
Severity:

HIGH

Vector:
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS v2

Not defined