Answer in brief
CVE-2025-38305 records a Medium severity (CVSS 5.5) vulnerability in ptp: remove ptp->n_vclocks check logic in ptp_vclock_in_use(). The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. The current feed maps Linux/Linux (generic), Linux/Linux (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.
Analysis pending evidence review
HOL Guard separates source facts from reviewed analysis. See the methodology.
CVSS is 5.5. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. Treat this as a source-backed prioritization signal, not a statement about your environment.
Analysis status
Analysis pending evidence review
Factual feed record only; HOL analysis is not approved for indexing. Read the methodology.
The current feed maps Linux/Linux (generic), Linux/Linux (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.
| Product | Affected versions | Fixed versions |
|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | Not reported | Not reported |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | Not reported | Not reported |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.14:-:*:*:*:*:*:* | Not reported | Not reported |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.14:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* | Not reported | Not reported |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.14:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* | Not reported | Not reported |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.14:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* | Not reported | Not reported |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.14:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* | Not reported | Not reported |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.14:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:* | Not reported | Not reported |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.14:rc7:*:*:*:*:*:* | Not reported | Not reported |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* | Not reported | Not reported |
| Package | Affected range | Fixed version |
|---|---|---|
| Linux/Linuxgeneric | >=73f37068d540eba5f93ba3a0019bf479d35ebd76 <5d217e7031a5c06d366580fc6ddbf43527b780d4 || >=73f37068d540eba5f93ba3a0019bf479d35ebd76 <b1b73c452331451020be3bf4b014901015ae6663 || >=73f37068d540eba5f93ba3a0019bf479d35ebd76 <259119595227fd20f6aa29d85abe086b6fdd9eb1 || >=73f37068d540eba5f93ba3a0019bf479d35ebd76 <b93e6fef4eda48e17d9c642b9abad98a066fd4a3 || >=73f37068d540eba5f93ba3a0019bf479d35ebd76 <ef8fc007c28a30a4c0d90bf755e0f343d99bb392 || >=73f37068d540eba5f93ba3a0019bf479d35ebd76 <87f7ce260a3c838b49e1dc1ceedf1006795157a2 | 5d217e7031a5c06d366580fc6ddbf43527b780d4, b1b73c452331451020be3bf4b014901015ae6663, 259119595227fd20f6aa29d85abe086b6fdd9eb1, b93e6fef4eda48e17d9c642b9abad98a066fd4a3, ef8fc007c28a30a4c0d90bf755e0f343d99bb392, 87f7ce260a3c838b49e1dc1ceedf1006795157a2 |
| Linux/Linuxgeneric | 5.14 | Not reported |
Published upstream
Jul 10, 2025
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:recordSource modified
Nov 5, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:recordFirst seen by HOL
Nov 5, 2026
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.
Quoted source text, attributed separately from HOL analysis.