Read the docs
TI-2025-25511 Aliases CVE-2025-38170GHSA-pwc7-rcq3-j2vw

arm64/fpsimd: Discard stale CPU state when handling SME traps

Priority LOW 24Published · Updated

Key facts

Attack vector
Local
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low
Impact type
—
Confidentiality · integrity · availability
None · None · High
Fix status
Partial Red Hat: 2 without a fix

Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.

Summary

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: arm64/fpsimd: Discard stale CPU state when handling SME traps The logic for handling SME traps manipulates saved FPSIMD/SVE/SME state incorrectly, and a race with preemption can result in a task having TIF_SME set and TIF_FOREIGN_FPSTATE clear even though the live CPU state is stale (e.g. with SME traps enabled). This can result in warnings from do_sme_acc() where SME traps are not expected while TIF_SME is set: | /* With TIF_SME userspace shouldn't generate any traps */ | if (test_and_set_thread_flag(TIF_SME)) | WARN_ON(1); This is very similar to the SVE issue we fixed in commit: 751ecf6afd6568ad ("arm64/sve: Discard stale CPU state when handling SVE traps") The race can occur when the SME trap handler is preempted before and after manipulating the saved FPSIMD/SVE/SME state, starting and ending on the same CPU, e.g. | void do_sme_acc(unsigned long esr, struct pt_regs *regs) | { | // Trap on CPU 0 with TIF_SME clear, SME traps enabled | // task->fpsimd_cpu is 0. | // per_cpu_ptr(&fpsimd_last_state, 0) is task. | | ... | | // Preempted; migrated from CPU 0 to CPU 1. | // TIF_FOREIGN_FPSTATE is set. | | get_cpu_fpsimd_context(); | | /* With TIF_SME userspace shouldn't generate any traps */ | if (test_and_set_thread_flag(TIF_SME)) | WARN_ON(1); | | if (!test_thread_flag(TIF_FOREIGN_FPSTATE)) { | unsigned long vq_minus_one = | sve_vq_from_vl(task_get_sme_vl(current)) - 1; | sme_set_vq(vq_minus_one); | | fpsimd_bind_task_to_cpu(); | } | | put_cpu_fpsimd_context(); | | // Preempted; migrated from CPU 1 to CPU 0. | // task->fpsimd_cpu is still 0 | // If per_cpu_ptr(&fpsimd_last_state, 0) is still task then: | // - Stale HW state is reused (with SME traps enabled) | // - TIF_FOREIGN_FPSTATE is cleared | // - A return to userspace skips HW state restore | } Fix the case where the state is not live and TIF_FOREIGN_FPSTATE is set by calling fpsimd_flush_task_state() to detach from the saved CPU state. This ensures that a subsequent context switch will not reuse the stale CPU state, and will instead set TIF_FOREIGN_FPSTATE, forcing the new state to be reloaded from memory prior to a return to userspace. Note: this was originallly posted as [1]. [ Rutland: rewrite commit message ]

Why it matters now

Exploitation None reported CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV
EPSS 0.00171 6th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix Partial Linux (Linux): 6.1.142, 6.6.94, 6.12.34 +2Red Hat: 2 without a fix

SSVC decision points

CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3

Exploitation
None
Automatable
No
Technical impact
Partial

The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.

Affected products

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed inStatusSource
LinuxLinux5.19 and later6.1.142, 6.6.94, 6.12.34, 6.15.3, 6.16Patch availableCNA
  • Linux VendorLinux Affected 5.19 and later Fixed in 6.1.142, 6.6.94, 6.12.34, 6.15.3, 6.16 Patch available CNA

CPE configurations NVD · 2

CPEVersionsRoleVendor
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*5.19 to before 6.1.142; 6.2 to before 6.6.94; 6.7 to before 6.12.34; 6.13 to before 6.15.3VulnerableLinux
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*11.0VulnerableDebian
  • cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.19 to before 6.1.142; 6.2 to before 6.6.94; 6.7 to before 6.12.34; 6.13 to before 6.15.3 Vulnerable ·Linux
  • cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 11.0 Vulnerable ·Debian

Remediation

  • Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.1.142, 6.6.94, 6.12.34, 6.15.3, 6.16

Vendor assessments

Red Hat

Red Hat rating: Low. Red Hat's page for this CVE →

ProductStatusPlan or fix
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10AffectedNo fix yet: Fix deferred
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9AffectedNo fix yet: Fix deferred
Not affected: 3 products
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8

Timeline

  1. 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2025-38170
  2. 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-pwc7-rcq3-j2vw
  3. 2026-11-05 CISA SSVC decision points changed

References

  • TI-2025-26358 tls: fix handling of zero-length records on the rx_list KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
  • TI-2026-38352 netfilter: bridge: make ebt_snat ARP rewrite writable KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
  • TI-2013-05264 The (1) get_user and (2) put_user API functions in the Linux kernel before 3.5.5 on the… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
  • TI-2022-00125 Integer overflow in kernel KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
  • TI-2013-01864 The perf_swevent_init function in kernel/events/core.c in the Linux kernel before 3.8.9… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
  • TI-2021-05514 Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACE KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.3
See all 15278 →

Sources