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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2025-38233: Linux kernel · powerpc64/ftrace: fix clobbered r15 during livepatching

Source GCVE Database

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High.

Data as of 13 Nov 2026, 20:05 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
7.8High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 4 Jul 2025

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponized: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq 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 is available that restores the r15 register during livepatching. Users and administrators should apply the official Linux kernel patch that addresses this issue. Since this is a kernel-level vulnerability, updating to the patched kernel version is the recommended mitigation.

Description

CVE-2025-38233 is a high-severity vulnerability in the Linux kernel's powerpc64 architecture ftrace livepatching code. The issue involves the r15 register being clobbered and not restored during livepatching, which can cause kernel crashes and data access faults. This flaw has been fixed by ensuring r15 is always restored during livepatching.

References

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