VulnerabilityPublished 16 Aug 2025Updated 5 Nov 2026

CVE-2025-38537: Linux kernel · net: phy: Don't register LEDs for genphy

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · fixed in fd6493533af9e5d73d0d42ff2a8ded978a701dc6 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 5 Nov 2026, 21:34 UTC

Severity

Unrated

Rated by Threat Radar · No CVSS score from NVD or the CNA

Thin evidence

One scorer or none

Exploitation: No evidence of active exploitation and no public proof of concept
Automatable: Attackers cannot reliably automate steps 1–4 of the kill chain
Technical impact: Limited control over the software or limited information exposure

CISA SSVC assessment, 2026-11-05.

Patch

Available – fixed in fd6493533af9e5d73d0d42ff2a8ded978a701dc6, f0f2b992d8185a0366be951685e08643aae17d6d, ec158d05eaa91b2809cab65f8068290e3c05ebdd +1

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 16 Aug 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 5 Nov 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade Linux kernel to fd6493533af9e5d73d0d42ff2a8ded978a701dc6, f0f2b992d8185a0366be951685e08643aae17d6d, ec158d05eaa91b2809cab65f8068290e3c05ebdd or 75e1b2079ef0653a2f7aa69be515d86b7faf1908.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 01e5b728e9e43ae444e0369695a5f72209906464, < fd6493533af9e5d73d0d42ff2a8ded978a701dc6	Fixed in fd6493533af9e5d73d0d42ff2a8ded978a701dc6
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 01e5b728e9e43ae444e0369695a5f72209906464, < f0f2b992d8185a0366be951685e08643aae17d6d	Fixed in f0f2b992d8185a0366be951685e08643aae17d6d
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 01e5b728e9e43ae444e0369695a5f72209906464, < ec158d05eaa91b2809cab65f8068290e3c05ebdd	Fixed in ec158d05eaa91b2809cab65f8068290e3c05ebdd
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 01e5b728e9e43ae444e0369695a5f72209906464, < 75e1b2079ef0653a2f7aa69be515d86b7faf1908	Fixed in 75e1b2079ef0653a2f7aa69be515d86b7faf1908
LinuxLinux	Affected =6.4	Fixed in–

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: phy: Don't register LEDs for genphy If a PHY has no driver, the genphy driver is probed/removed directly in phy_attach/detach. If the PHY's ofnode has an "leds" subnode, then the LEDs will be (un)registered when probing/removing the genphy driver. This could occur if the leds are for a non-generic driver that isn't loaded for whatever reason. Synchronously removing the PHY device in phy_detach leads to the following deadlock: rtnl_lock() ndo_close() ... phy_detach() phy_remove() phy_leds_unregister() led_classdev_unregister() led_trigger_set() netdev_trigger_deactivate() unregister_netdevice_notifier() rtnl_lock() There is a corresponding deadlock on the open/register side of things (and that one is reported by lockdep), but it requires a race while this one is deterministic. Generic PHYs do not support LEDs anyway, so don't bother registering them.

References

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