ptp: remove ptp->n_vclocks check logic in ptp_vclock_in_use()
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: 3 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: ptp: remove ptp->n_vclocks check logic in ptp_vclock_in_use() There is no disagreement that we should check both ptp->is_virtual_clock and ptp->n_vclocks to check if the ptp virtual clock is in use. However, when we acquire ptp->n_vclocks_mux to read ptp->n_vclocks in ptp_vclock_in_use(), we observe a recursive lock in the call trace starting from n_vclocks_store(). ============================================ WARNING: possible recursive locking detected 6.15.0-rc6 #1 Not tainted -------------------------------------------- syz.0.1540/13807 is trying to acquire lock: ffff888035a24868 (&ptp->n_vclocks_mux){+.+.}-{4:4}, at: ptp_vclock_in_use drivers/ptp/ptp_private.h:103 [inline] ffff888035a24868 (&ptp->n_vclocks_mux){+.+.}-{4:4}, at: ptp_clock_unregister+0x21/0x250 drivers/ptp/ptp_clock.c:415 but task is already holding lock: ffff888030704868 (&ptp->n_vclocks_mux){+.+.}-{4:4}, at: n_vclocks_store+0xf1/0x6d0 drivers/ptp/ptp_sysfs.c:215 other info that might help us debug this: Possible unsafe locking scenario: CPU0 ---- lock(&ptp->n_vclocks_mux); lock(&ptp->n_vclocks_mux); *** DEADLOCK *** .... ============================================ The best way to solve this is to remove the logic that checks ptp->n_vclocks in ptp_vclock_in_use(). The reason why this is appropriate is that any path that uses ptp->n_vclocks must unconditionally check if ptp->n_vclocks is greater than 0 before unregistering vclocks, and all functions are already written this way. And in the function that uses ptp->n_vclocks, we already get ptp->n_vclocks_mux before unregistering vclocks. Therefore, we need to remove the redundant check for ptp->n_vclocks in ptp_vclock_in_use() to prevent recursive locking.
Why it matters now
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
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 5.14 and later | 5.15.186, 6.1.142, 6.6.94, 6.12.34, 6.15.3, 6.16 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 5.14 and later Fixed in 5.15.186, 6.1.142, 6.6.94, 6.12.34, 6.15.3, 6.16 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 10
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.14.1 to before 5.15.186; 5.16 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:linux:linux_kernel:5.14:-:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.14 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.14:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.14 rc2 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.14:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.14 rc3 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.14:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.14 rc4 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.14:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.14 rc5 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.14:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.14 rc6 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.14:rc7:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.14 rc7 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.16 rc1 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 11.0 | Vulnerable | Debian |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.14.1 to before 5.15.186; 5.16 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:linux:linux_kernel:5.14:-:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.14 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.14:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.14 rc2 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.14:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.14 rc3 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.14:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.14 rc4 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.14:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.14 rc5 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.14:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.14 rc6 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.14:rc7:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.14 rc7 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.16 rc1 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 11.0 Vulnerable ·Debian
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.15.186, 6.1.142, 6.6.94, 6.12.34, 6.15.3, 6.16
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet |
Not affected: 2 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2025-38305
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-vx82-qc8j-62qx
- 2026-11-05 CISA SSVC decision points changed
References
Patch 6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5d217e7031a5c06d366580fc6ddbf43527b780d4
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b1b73c452331451020be3bf4b014901015ae6663
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/259119595227fd20f6aa29d85abe086b6fdd9eb1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b93e6fef4eda48e17d9c642b9abad98a066fd4a3
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ef8fc007c28a30a4c0d90bf755e0f343d99bb392
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/87f7ce260a3c838b49e1dc1ceedf1006795157a2
More Linux Kernel vulnerabilities
- 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
Sources
- CVE-2025-38305 · CVE Program
- CVE-2025-38305 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-vx82-qc8j-62qx · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2025-38305 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences