Cyber Resilience

CVE-2025-38521

Linux Kernel 6.8 – 6.12.39

Published
16 August 2025
Modified
17 June 2026
Patch / advisory
View advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 7.1
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H
EPSS Score 0.0015 4th percentile
Risk Priority 50 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2025-38521 is a high-severity Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere (CWE-668) vulnerability in Linux Linux Kernel. Its CVSS base score is 7.1 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Cloud Instance Metadata API (T1552.005); ranked at the 4th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and AC-4 (Information Flow Enforcement) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

A01:2025 Broken Access Control

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: drm/imagination: Fix kernel crash when hard resetting the GPU The GPU hard reset sequence calls pm_runtime_force_suspend() and pm_runtime_force_resume(), which according to their documentation should only be used during system-wide PM…

more

transitions to sleep states. The main issue though is that depending on some internal runtime PM state as seen by pm_runtime_force_suspend() (whether the usage count is <= 1), pm_runtime_force_resume() might not resume the device unless needed. If that happens, the runtime PM resume callback pvr_power_device_resume() is not called, the GPU clocks are not re-enabled, and the kernel crashes on the next attempt to access GPU registers as part of the power-on sequence. Replace calls to pm_runtime_force_suspend() and pm_runtime_force_resume() with direct calls to the driver's runtime PM callbacks, pvr_power_device_suspend() and pvr_power_device_resume(), to ensure clocks are re-enabled and avoid the kernel crash.

CWE(s)
CWE-668

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1552.005 Cloud Instance Metadata API Credential Access
Adversaries may attempt to access the Cloud Instance Metadata API to collect credentials and other sensitive data.
attack.mitre.org →
T1552.007 Container API Credential Access
Adversaries may gather credentials via APIs within a containers environment.
attack.mitre.org →
T1039 Data from Network Shared Drive Collection
Adversaries may search network shares on computers they have compromised to find files of interest.
attack.mitre.org →
T1530 Data from Cloud Storage Collection
Adversaries may access data from cloud storage.
attack.mitre.org →
T1552 Unsecured Credentials Credential Access
Adversaries may search compromised systems to find and obtain insecurely stored credentials.
attack.mitre.org →
T1552.001 Credentials In Files Credential Access
Adversaries may search local file systems and remote file shares for files containing insecurely stored credentials.
attack.mitre.org →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2025-22069Same product: Linux Linux Kernel
CVE-2024-43881Same product: Linux Linux Kernel
CVE-2024-36033Same product: Linux Linux Kernel
CVE-2024-39499Same product: Linux Linux Kernel
CVE-2023-52700Same product: Linux Linux Kernel
CVE-2024-57838Same product: Linux Linux Kernel
CVE-2024-36032Same product: Linux Linux Kernel
CVE-2024-49997Same product: Linux Linux Kernel
CVE-2023-1637Same product: Linux Linux Kernel
CVE-2023-3006Same product: Linux Linux Kernel

Affected Assets

linux
linux kernel
6.16 · 6.8 — 6.12.39 · 6.13 — 6.15.7

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

—

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

—

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 8 hardening rules · 7 OS baselines
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)

—

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

AC-3 Access Enforcement good match

Access enforcement directly stops resources from being reachable by actors outside the intended control sphere.

AC-4 Information Flow Enforcement good match

Information flow enforcement structurally prevents unintended cross-sphere data or resource exposure.

AC-6 Least Privilege good match

Least privilege reduces the set of actors that can reach a resource, limiting wrong-sphere exposure.

AC-16 Security and Privacy Attributes partial match

Security attributes enable correct sphere assignment and subsequent enforcement decisions.

SC-7 Boundary Protection partial match

Boundary protection at interfaces prevents resources from being exposed outside authorized spheres.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.AA-05 mostly match
prevents

Enforcing least-privilege authorizations directly prevents resources from being exposed outside their intended control sphere.

PR.IR-01 partial match
prevents

Network segmentation and unauthorized-access protections reduce the chance of resources being reachable by the wrong sphere.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

A.8.22 Segregation of networks partial match
mitigates

Placing systems of differing trust levels into separate domains prevents resources from being placed in a sphere where they are reachable by unintended actors.

A.5.9 Inventory of information and other associated assets none match
none

Requiring owners to manage the full asset life cycle and remove assets from the inventory upon secure disposal helps prevent resources from being inadvertently exposed outside their intended security sphere.

Hardening callouts derived

Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).

Oracle Linux 8 (2 rules)
  • V-248827 OL 8 must not have the rsh-server package installed. prevents CWE-668
  • V-248823 OL 8 must not have the telnet-server package installed. prevents CWE-668
RHEL 7 (1 rule)
  • V-204442 The Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system must not have the rsh-server package installed. prevents CWE-668
Windows 10 (1 rule)
  • V-220967 The Debug programs user right must only be assigned to the Administrators group. prevents CWE-668
Windows 11 (1 rule)
  • V-253490 The "Debug programs" user right must only be assigned to the Administrators group. prevents CWE-668
Windows Server 2016 (1 rule)
  • V-225079 The Debug programs user right must only be assigned to the Administrators group. prevents CWE-668
Windows Server 2019 (1 rule)
  • V-205757 Windows Server 2019 Debug programs: user right must only be assigned to the Administrators group. prevents CWE-668
Windows Server 2022 (1 rule)
  • V-254500 Windows Server 2022 debug programs user right must only be assigned to the Administrators group. prevents CWE-668

References