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In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: eventpoll: Fix semi-unbounded recursion Ensure that epoll instances can never… (CVE-2025-38614)

0
Medium
Published: 08/19/2025 (08/19/2025, 17:15:00 UTC)
Source: GCVE Database
Product: linux

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: eventpoll: Fix semi-unbounded recursion Ensure that epoll instances can never form a graph deeper than EP_MAX_NESTS+1 links. Currently, ep_loop_check_proc() ensures that the graph is loop-free and does some recursion depth checks, but those recursion depth checks don't limit the depth of the resulting tree for two reasons: - They don't look upwards in the tree. - If there are multiple downwards paths of different lengths, only one of the paths is actually considered for the depth check since commit 28d82dc1c4ed ("epoll: limit paths"). Essentially, the current recursion depth check in ep_loop_check_proc() just serves to prevent it from recursing too deeply while checking for loops. A more thorough check is done in reverse_path_check() after the new graph edge has already been created; this checks, among other things, that no paths going upwards from any non-epoll file with a length of more than 5 edges exist. However, this check does not apply to non-epoll files. As a result, it is possible to recurse to a depth of at least roughly 500, tested on v6.15. (I am unsure if deeper recursion is possible; and this may have changed with commit 8c44dac8add7 ("eventpoll: Fix priority inversion problem").) To fix it: 1. In ep_loop_check_proc(), note the subtree depth of each visited node, and use subtree depths for the total depth calculation even when a subtree has already been visited. 2. Add ep_get_upwards_depth_proc() for similarly determining the maximum depth of an upwards walk. 3. In ep_loop_check(), use these values to limit the total path length between epoll nodes to EP_MAX_NESTS edges.

CVSS v3.1

Score 7.8high

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected software

redhat/kernel
pkg:rpm/redhat/kernel
Affected versions
=10.*

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AI-Powered Analysis

Machine-generated threat intelligence

AILast updated: 06/25/2026, 22:22:38 UTC

Technical Analysis

This Red Hat security advisory (RHSA-2025:21463) addresses four distinct vulnerabilities in the Linux kernel packages for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10. The vulnerabilities include: CVE-2025-38614, a semi-unbounded recursion issue in the eventpoll subsystem; CVE-2025-39864, a use-after-free vulnerability in the wifi cfg80211 component's cmp_bss() function; CVE-2025-39903, uninitialized memory nodes in the of_numa subsystem that can cause kernel panic; and CVE-2025-39946, a TLS subsystem flaw where streams may not abort properly if headers are malformed. Red Hat has released updated kernel packages that fix these issues and requires a reboot to apply the fixes. The advisory applies to Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 and its extended update support versions across multiple hardware architectures. No CVSS scores are provided in the advisory, and no exploits are known to be active in the wild.

Potential Impact

The vulnerabilities affect the Linux kernel, the core component of the operating system, potentially leading to system instability (kernel panic), memory corruption (use-after-free), and improper handling of network streams. These issues could impact system reliability and security, but no active exploitation has been reported. The severity is rated moderate by Red Hat.

Mitigation Recommendations

Red Hat has released updated kernel packages that address these vulnerabilities. Users should apply the security update for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 as detailed in the advisory (RHSA-2025:21463) and reboot their systems to ensure the fixes take effect. No additional mitigations are indicated or required beyond applying the official update and rebooting.

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Technical Details

Gcve Source
db.gcve.eu
Csaf Category
csaf_security_advisory
Csaf Version
2.0
Publisher
Red Hat Product Security
Advisory Id
RHSA-2025:21463
Cve Count
4
Additional Cves
["CVE-2025-39864","CVE-2025-39903","CVE-2025-39946"]

Threat ID: 6a3da1dc4853345fc1829de6

Added to database: 06/25/2026, 21:47:08 UTC

Last enriched: 06/25/2026, 22:22:38 UTC

Last updated: 09/10/2026, 19:24:56 UTC

Views: 37

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