VulnerabilityPublished 22 Aug 2025Updated 5 Nov 2026

CVE-2025-38668: Linux kernel · regulator: core: fix NULL dereference on unbind due to stale coupling data

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · fixed in d7e59c5fd7a0f5e16e75a30a89ea2c4ab88612b8 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 5 Nov 2026, 23:23 UTC

Severity

Unrated

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

Thin evidence

One scorer or none

EPSS

0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 6% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

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 d7e59c5fd7a0f5e16e75a30a89ea2c4ab88612b8, ca46946a482238b0cdea459fb82fc837fb36260e, ca9bef9ba1a6be640c87bf802d2e9e696021576a +5

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 22 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 to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ d8ca7d184b33af7913c244900df77c6cad6a5590, < d7e59c5fd7a0f5e16e75a30a89ea2c4ab88612b8	Fixed in d7e59c5fd7a0f5e16e75a30a89ea2c4ab88612b8
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ d8ca7d184b33af7913c244900df77c6cad6a5590, < ca46946a482238b0cdea459fb82fc837fb36260e	Fixed in ca46946a482238b0cdea459fb82fc837fb36260e
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ d8ca7d184b33af7913c244900df77c6cad6a5590, < ca9bef9ba1a6be640c87bf802d2e9e696021576a	Fixed in ca9bef9ba1a6be640c87bf802d2e9e696021576a
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ d8ca7d184b33af7913c244900df77c6cad6a5590, < 7574892e259bbb16262ebfb4b65a2054a5e03a49	Fixed in 7574892e259bbb16262ebfb4b65a2054a5e03a49
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ d8ca7d184b33af7913c244900df77c6cad6a5590, < 800a2cfb2df7f96b3fb48910fc595e0215f6b019	Fixed in 800a2cfb2df7f96b3fb48910fc595e0215f6b019
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ d8ca7d184b33af7913c244900df77c6cad6a5590, < 233d3c54c9620e95193923859ea1d0b0f5d748ca	Fixed in 233d3c54c9620e95193923859ea1d0b0f5d748ca

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: regulator: core: fix NULL dereference on unbind due to stale coupling data Failing to reset coupling_desc.n_coupled after freeing coupled_rdevs can lead to NULL pointer dereference when regulators are accessed post-unbind. This can happen during runtime PM or other regulator operations that rely on coupling metadata. For example, on ridesx4, unbinding the 'reg-dummy' platform device triggers a panic in regulator_lock_recursive() due to stale coupling state. Ensure n_coupled is set to 0 to prevent access to invalid pointers.

References

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