CVE-2025-38522 | sched/ext: Prevent update_locked_rq() calls with NULL rq

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: sched/ext: Prevent update_locked_rq() calls with NULL rq Avoid invoking update_locked_rq() when the runqueue (rq) pointer is NULL in the SCX_CALL_OP and SCX_CALL_OP_RET macros. Previously, calling update_locked_rq(NULL) with preemption enabled could trigger the following warning: BUG: using __this_cpu_write() in preemptible [00000000] This happens because __this_cpu_write() is unsafe to use in preemptible context. rq is NULL when an ops invoked from an unlocked context. In such cases, we don't need to store any rq, since the value should already be NULL (unlocked). Ensure that update_locked_rq() is only called when rq is non-NULL, preventing calling __this_cpu_write() on preemptible context.

Published: 2025-08-16 Last update: 2025-11-18 Assigner: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2025-38522 is rated Low Risk (30/100): CVSS Medium severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.07%). Mandatory action: Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2025-38522

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-12 0.02% 0.07% +0.06%
2 2025-08-16 0.02%

Full EPSS history (2 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2025-38522

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
5.5 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
1.8 3.6 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2025-38522

OS Trackers for CVE-2025-38522

vendor priority summary link
debian unimportant CVE-2025-38522 unimportant priority: Debian including 1 source packages (linux), 5 status rows across 5 suites (bookworm, bullseye, forky, sid, trixie): resolved 5. https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2025-38522
redhat https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-38522
suse medium CVE-2025-38522 severity moderate: SUSE including 26 source package names (cluster-md-kmp-default, dlm-kmp-default, …), 281 product×package rows across 55 product lines (SLES-LTSS-TERADATA 15 SP2, SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP7, … (55 product lines)): Known Not Affected 281. https://www.suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-38522/
ubuntu medium CVE-2025-38522 medium priority: Ubuntu including 144 source packages (linux, linux-allwinner-5.19, …), 1152 status rows across 8 suites (bionic, focal, jammy, noble, plucky, trusty, upstream, xenial): DNE 797, ignored 157, not-affected 125, released 73. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2025-38522

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2025-38522

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
linux linux_kernel >= 6.15.1, < 6.15.8 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel 6.15 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.15:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel 6.15 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.15:rc7:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel 6.16 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel 6.16 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel 6.16 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel 6.16 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel 6.16 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel 6.16 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2025-38522

cvelogic Threat Intelligence