CVE-2025-38354

CVE-2025-38354 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux Linux Kernel with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low.

Key facts

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: drm/msm/gpu: Fix crash when throttling GPU immediately during boot There is a small chance that the GPU is already hot during boot. In that case, the call to of_devfreq_cooling_register() will immediately try to apply devfreq cooling, as seen in the following crash: Unable to handle kernel paging request at virtual address 0000000000014110 pc : a6xx_gpu_busy+0x1c/0x58 [msm] lr : msm_devfreq_get_dev_status+0xbc/0x140 [msm] Call trace: a6xx_gpu_busy+0x1c/0x58 [msm] (P) devfreq_simple_ondemand_func+0x3c/0x150 devfreq_update_target+0x44/0xd8 qos_max_notifier_call+0x30/0x84 blocking_notifier_call_chain+0x6c/0xa0 pm_qos_update_target+0xd0/0x110 freq_qos_apply+0x3c/0x74 apply_constraint+0x88/0x148 __dev_pm_qos_update_request+0x7c/0xcc dev_pm_qos_update_request+0x38/0x5c devfreq_cooling_set_cur_state+0x98/0xf0 __thermal_cdev_update+0x64/0xb4 thermal_cdev_update+0x4c/0x58 step_wise_manage+0x1f0/0x318 __thermal_zone_device_update+0x278/0x424 __thermal_cooling_device_register+0x2bc/0x308 thermal_of_cooling_device_register+0x10/0x1c of_devfreq_cooling_register_power+0x240/0x2bc of_devfreq_cooling_register+0x14/0x20 msm_devfreq_init+0xc4/0x1a0 [msm] msm_gpu_init+0x304/0x574 [msm] adreno_gpu_init+0x1c4/0x2e0 [msm] a6xx_gpu_init+0x5c8/0x9c8 [msm] adreno_bind+0x2a8/0x33c [msm] ... At this point we haven't initialized the GMU at all yet, so we cannot read the GMU registers inside a6xx_gpu_busy(). A similar issue was fixed before in commit 6694482a70e9 ("drm/msm: Avoid unclocked GMU register access in 6xx gpu_busy"): msm_devfreq_init() does call devfreq_suspend_device(), but unlike msm_devfreq_suspend(), it doesn't set the df->suspended flag accordingly. This means the df->suspended flag does not match the actual devfreq state after initialization and msm_devfreq_get_dev_status() will end up accessing GMU registers, causing the crash. Fix this by setting df->suspended correctly during initialization. Patchwork: https://patchwork.freedesktop.org/patch/650772/

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2025-38354?
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: drm/msm/gpu: Fix crash when throttling GPU immediately during boot There is a small chance that the GPU is already hot during boot. In that case, the call to of_devfreq_cooling_register() will immediately try to apply devfreq cooling, as seen in the following crash: Unable to handle kernel paging request at virtual address 0000000000014110 pc : a6xx_gpu_busy+0x1c/0x58 [msm] lr : msm_devfreq_get_dev_status+0xbc/0x140 [msm] Call trace: a6xx_gpu_busy+0x1c/0x58 [msm] (P) devfreq_simple_ondemand_func+0x3c/0x150 devfreq_update_target+0x44/0xd8 qos_max_notifier_call+0x30/0x84 blocking_notifier_call_chain+0x6c/0xa0 pm_qos_update_target+0xd0/0x110 freq_qos_apply+0x3c/0x74 apply_constraint+0x88/0x148 __dev_pm_qos_update_request+0x7c/0xcc dev_pm_qos_update_request+0x38/0x5c devfreq_cooling_set_cur_state+0x98/0xf0 __thermal_cdev_update+0x64/0xb4 thermal_cdev_update+0x4c/0x58 step_wise_manage+0x1f0/0x318 __thermal_zone_device_update+0x278/0x424 __thermal_cooling_device_register+0x2bc/0x308 thermal_of_cooling_device_register+0x10/0x1c of_devfreq_cooling_register_power+0x240/0x2bc of_devfreq_cooling_register+0x14/0x20 msm_devfreq_init+0xc4/0x1a0 [msm] msm_gpu_init+0x304/0x574 [msm] adreno_gpu_init+0x1c4/0x2e0 [msm] a6xx_gpu_init+0x5c8/0x9c8 [msm] adreno_bind+0x2a8/0x33c [msm] ... At this point we haven't initialized the GMU at all yet, so we cannot read the GMU registers inside a6xx_gpu_busy(). A similar issue was fixed before in commit 6694482a70e9 ("drm/msm: Avoid unclocked GMU register access in 6xx gpu_busy"): msm_devfreq_init() does call devfreq_suspend_device(), but unlike msm_devfreq_suspend(), it doesn't set the df->suspended flag accordingly. This means the df->suspended flag does not match the actual devfreq state after initialization and msm_devfreq_get_dev_status() will end up accessing GMU registers, causing the crash. Fix this by setting df->suspended correctly during initialization. Patchwork: https://patchwork.freedesktop.org/patch/650772/
How severe is CVE-2025-38354?
CVE-2025-38354 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2025-38354 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (5th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2025-38354?
CVE-2025-38354 primarily affects Linux Linux Kernel. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2025-38354?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
Does CVE-2025-38354 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?
Yes. CVE-2025-38354 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2025-22649.
When was CVE-2025-38354 published?
CVE-2025-38354 was published on 2025-07-25 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (2)

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