{"dataType":"CVE_RECORD","dataVersion":"5.2","cveMetadata":{"cveId":"CVE-2025-38012","assignerOrgId":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","state":"PUBLISHED","assignerShortName":"Linux","dateReserved":"2025-04-16T04:51:23.977Z","datePublished":"2025-06-18T09:28:22.057Z","dateUpdated":"2026-08-05T11:58:57.764Z"},"containers":{"cna":{"providerMetadata":{"orgId":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","shortName":"Linux","dateUpdated":"2026-08-05T11:58:57.764Z"},"descriptions":[{"lang":"en","value":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nsched_ext: bpf_iter_scx_dsq_new() should always initialize iterator\n\nBPF programs may call next() and destroy() on BPF iterators even after new()\nreturns an error value (e.g. bpf_for_each() macro ignores error returns from\nnew()). bpf_iter_scx_dsq_new() could leave the iterator in an uninitialized\nstate after an error return causing bpf_iter_scx_dsq_next() to dereference\ngarbage data. Make bpf_iter_scx_dsq_new() always clear $kit->dsq so that\nnext() and destroy() become noops."}],"metrics":[{"cvssV3_1":{"version":"3.1","vectorString":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","baseScore":7.8,"baseSeverity":"HIGH"},"scenarios":[{"lang":"en","value":"AV:L - Exploitation requires loading and running a BPF program via the local `bpf()` syscall (BPF_PROG_LOAD + BPF_PROG_TEST_RUN, or a struct_ops/tracing attach). There is no remote or adjacent-network path to the sched_ext DSQ iterator kfuncs.\nAC:L - The trigger is fully deterministic — pass an invalid flag bit to `bpf_iter_scx_dsq_new()` and call `next()` — with no race, no timing window, and no dependence on ambient memory layout, since the attacker pre-seeds the iterator stack slots with values of their choosing. `CONFIG_SCHED_CLASS_EXT` is enabled in mainstream 6.12+ distro kernels.\nPR:L - Only CAP_BPF is needed: the iterator kfuncs are registered for `BPF_PROG_TYPE_SYSCALL`, which is not perfmon/net-admin gated, and `bpf_prog_test_run_syscall()` adds no capability check. `bpf_token_capable()` allows CAP_BPF to be delegated into an unprivileged user namespace via a bpffs BPF token, so an ordinary low-privileged container user can reach it.\nUI:N - The attacker's own BPF program triggers the flaw synchronously; no victim action, mount, or file open is involved.\nS:U - The corruption and its consequences are confined to the kernel's own security authority — a standard local privilege escalation with no VM, IOMMU, or hypervisor boundary crossed.\nC:H - `nldsq_next_task()` dereferences the attacker-supplied `kit->dsq` pointer and then walks arbitrary `list_head` next/prev chains, yielding an arbitrary kernel-memory read primitive that can disclose credentials, keys, and KASLR state.\nI:H - The uninitialized `kit->cursor` drives `list_move()`/`list_del_init()` against attacker-chosen addresses, and `raw_spin_lock_irqsave(&kit->dsq->lock)` performs a read-modify-write at an arbitrary address — a controlled kernel write primitive leading to full privilege escalation.\nA:H - Dereferencing garbage pointers under `raw_spin_lock_irqsave()` reliably produces a kernel oops or a hard lockup on a bogus spinlock, and any unprivileged-BPF-capable process can repeat it at will to panic the machine."}]}],"affected":[{"product":"Linux","vendor":"Linux","defaultStatus":"unaffected","repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["kernel/sched/ext.c"],"versions":[{"version":"650ba21b131ed1f8ee57826b2c6295a3be221132","lessThan":"0102989af4c334d1d98b2a0fd4d61a5152e39b72","status":"affected","versionType":"git"},{"version":"650ba21b131ed1f8ee57826b2c6295a3be221132","lessThan":"255dd31bfc4a67a19b1fc2cd130a50284dadfe3a","status":"affected","versionType":"git"},{"version":"650ba21b131ed1f8ee57826b2c6295a3be221132","lessThan":"428dc9fc0873989d73918d4a9cc22745b7bbc799","status":"affected","versionType":"git"}]},{"product":"Linux","vendor":"Linux","defaultStatus":"affected","repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["kernel/sched/ext.c"],"versions":[{"version":"6.12","status":"affected"},{"version":"0","lessThan":"6.12","status":"unaffected","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.12.30","lessThanOrEqual":"6.12.*","status":"unaffected","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.14.8","lessThanOrEqual":"6.14.*","status":"unaffected","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.15","lessThanOrEqual":"*","status":"unaffected","versionType":"original_commit_for_fix"}]}],"cpeApplicability":[{"nodes":[{"operator":"OR","negate":false,"cpeMatch":[{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"6.12","versionEndExcluding":"6.12.30"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"6.12","versionEndExcluding":"6.14.8"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"6.12","versionEndExcluding":"6.15"}]}]}],"references":[{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0102989af4c334d1d98b2a0fd4d61a5152e39b72"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/255dd31bfc4a67a19b1fc2cd130a50284dadfe3a"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/428dc9fc0873989d73918d4a9cc22745b7bbc799"}],"title":"sched_ext: bpf_iter_scx_dsq_new() should always initialize iterator","x_generator":{"engine":"bippy-1.2.0"}}}}