CVE-2025-38352
posix-cpu-timers: fix race between handle_posix_cpu_timers() and posix_cpu_timer_del()
In short
A race condition in Linux kernel POSIX CPU timers can cause a crash or unpredictable behavior when a task exits while its timer is being deleted concurrently. The kernel fails to properly synchronize access to timer data during the exit process.
Technical detail
CWE-367 (Time-of-check Time-of-use race condition) in posix-cpu-timers: handle_posix_cpu_timers() executing from IRQ on an exiting non-autoreaping task can race with concurrent posix_cpu_timer_del(), allowing the latter to proceed without detecting firing timers when lock_task_sighand() or cpu_timer_task_rcu() fail post-reaping. Fix adds exit_state validation in run_posix_cpu_timers() to prevent timer operations on exiting tasks.
Summary generated and translated by AI from the official description.
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
posix-cpu-timers: fix race between handle_posix_cpu_timers() and posix_cpu_timer_del()
If an exiting non-autoreaping task has already passed exit_notify() and
calls handle_posix_cpu_timers() from IRQ, it can be reaped by its parent
or debugger right after unlock_task_sighand().
If a concurrent posix_cpu_timer_del() runs at that moment, it won't be
able to detect timer->it.cpu.firing != 0: cpu_timer_task_rcu() and/or
lock_task_sighand() will fail.
Add the tsk->exit_state check into run_posix_cpu_timers() to fix this.
This fix is not needed if CONFIG_POSIX_CPU_TIMERS_TASK_WORK=y, because
exit_task_work() is called before exit_notify(). But the check still
makes sense, task_work_add(&tsk->posix_cputimers_work.work) will fail
anyway in this case.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Affected products
Linux · Linuxpublic PoCs found — 5
cve_referencegithub.com/farazsth98/chronomaly★ 302githubgithub.com/farazsth98/poc-CVE-2025-38352★ 106githubgithub.com/AnalyticETH/chronomaly-webos★ 7githubgithub.com/jordelmir/Elysium-Vanguard-Sentinel-Audit★ 2githubgithub.com/Crime2/poc-CVE-2025-38352★ 1⚠ Public resources, to assess the exposure of systems you control or are authorized to test. Test only with authorization.
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https://github.com/farazsth98/chronomalyhttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2c72fe18cc5f9f1750f5bc148cf1c94c29e106ffhttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2f3daa04a9328220de46f0d5c919a6c0073a9f0bhttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/460188bc042a3f40f72d34b9f7fc6ee66b0b757bhttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/764a7a5dfda23f69919441f2eac2a83e7db6e5bbhttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/78a4b8e3795b31dae58762bc091bb0f4f74a2200https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c076635b3a42771ace7d276de8dc3bc76ee2ba1bhttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c29d5318708e67ac13c1b6fc1007d179fb65b4d7https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f90fff1e152dedf52b932240ebbd670d83330ecahttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/10/msg00007.htmlhttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/10/msg00008.htmlhttps://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2025-38352