CVE-2025-38076: Linux kernel · alloc_tag: allocate percpu counters for module tags dynamically
Source GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High.
Data as of 13 Nov 2026, 18:58 UTC
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 18 Jun 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 13 Nov 2026.
What to do
AI-suggested
A fix has been implemented in the Linux kernel that dynamically allocates percpu counters for module tags and retains them until no longer in use, preventing use-after-free. Users should update to the fixed kernel versions once available. Since this is a kernel vulnerability, applying the official kernel patches or upgrading to a fixed kernel release is the recommended mitigation.
Description
CVE-2025-38076 is a use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel related to the handling of percpu counters for module allocation tags. When a kernel module is unloaded, the memory for its allocation tags is kept alive if still in use, but the percpu counters referenced by these tags were freed prematurely, leading to potential use-after-free conditions. The issue is fixed by dynamically allocating percpu counters and keeping them alive as long as tags are in use after module unloading.