How severe is CVE-2025-38696?

CVE-2025-38696 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-2025-38696 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (7th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2025-38696?

CVE-2025-38696 primarily affects Linux Linux Kernel. In total, 4 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2025-38696?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

Does CVE-2025-38696 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?

Yes. CVE-2025-38696 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2025-26773.

When was CVE-2025-38696 published?

CVE-2025-38696 was published on 2025-09-04 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2025-38696

CVE-2025-38696 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. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-476.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.5)
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (7th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2025-26773
Weakness: CWE-476
Affected product: Linux Linux Kernel
Published: 2025-09-04
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: MIPS: Don't crash in stack_top() for tasks without ABI or vDSO Not all tasks have an ABI associated or vDSO mapped, for example kthreads never do. If such a task ever ends up calling stack_top(), it will derefence the NULL ABI pointer and crash. This can for example happen when using kunit: mips_stack_top+0x28/0xc0 arch_pick_mmap_layout+0x190/0x220 kunit_vm_mmap_init+0xf8/0x138 __kunit_add_resource+0x40/0xa8 kunit_vm_mmap+0x88/0xd8 usercopy_test_init+0xb8/0x240 kunit_try_run_case+0x5c/0x1a8 kunit_generic_run_threadfn_adapter+0x28/0x50 kthread+0x118/0x240 ret_from_kernel_thread+0x14/0x1c Only dereference the ABI point if it is set. The GIC page is also included as it is specific to the vDSO. Also move the randomization adjustment into the same conditional.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2025-38696?: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: MIPS: Don't crash in stack_top() for tasks without ABI or vDSO Not all tasks have an ABI associated or vDSO mapped, for example kthreads never do. If such a task ever ends up calling stack_top(), it will derefence the NULL ABI pointer and crash. This can for example happen when using kunit: mips_stack_top+0x28/0xc0 arch_pick_mmap_layout+0x190/0x220 kunit_vm_mmap_init+0xf8/0x138 __kunit_add_resource+0x40/0xa8 kunit_vm_mmap+0x88/0xd8 usercopy_test_init+0xb8/0x240 kunit_try_run_case+0x5c/0x1a8 kunit_generic_run_threadfn_adapter+0x28/0x50 kthread+0x118/0x240 ret_from_kernel_thread+0x14/0x1c Only dereference the ABI point if it is set. The GIC page is also included as it is specific to the vDSO. Also move the randomization adjustment into the same conditional.
How severe is CVE-2025-38696?: CVE-2025-38696 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-2025-38696 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (7th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2025-38696?: CVE-2025-38696 primarily affects Linux Linux Kernel. In total, 4 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2025-38696?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
Does CVE-2025-38696 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?: Yes. CVE-2025-38696 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2025-26773.
When was CVE-2025-38696 published?: CVE-2025-38696 was published on 2025-09-04 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (4)

cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:4.19:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:4.19:rc8:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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