Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
A locking error in the Linux kernel’s Mellanox mlx5 RDMA driver could allow unsafe memory handling during implicit on-demand paging. The supplied CVSS assessment indicates a locally authenticated, low-privilege user may compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Exposure depends on the affected kernel code and mlx5 RDMA functionality being present and used.
Executive priority
Treat this as a high-priority maintenance issue for RDMA-enabled, shared Linux infrastructure. Expedite vendor-supported updates where mlx5 implicit ODP is used. Other Linux systems warrant inventory and confirmation, but the sources do not justify emergency incident response without additional evidence of exploitation or relevant exposure.
Technical view
The mlx5_ib implicit ODP page-fault path called __xa_store() and __xa_erase() without the required xarray lock, causing unsafe RCU access. The kernel fix substitutes xa_store() and xa_erase(), which acquire necessary locking internally. The supplied CVSS 3.1 score is 7.8 with local, low-complexity, low-privilege access and no user interaction.
Likely exposure
Prioritize Linux systems using Mellanox mlx5 RDMA and implicit ODP, especially multi-user compute, virtualization, AI, or HPC infrastructure. The supplied affected-version data is internally difficult to interpret, so kernel version alone should not determine exposure; confirm whether the relevant fix commit is included in each vendor kernel.
Exploitation context
The bundle reports no CISA KEV listing and provides no evidence of active exploitation or a public exploit. Its CVSS vector describes local exploitation requiring low privileges, not unauthenticated remote compromise. The supplied evidence demonstrates a lockdep warning and unsafe synchronization but does not document a proven real-world impact chain.
Researcher notes
The defect is a synchronization failure involving xarray mutation and RCU protection in pagefault_mr(). The corrective pattern is explicit in the record, but no CWE, crash proof, corruption trace, or exploitation analysis is supplied. Researchers should distinguish the demonstrated lockdep violation from the CVSS-assessed impact and validate affected vendor backports carefully.
Mitigation direction
- Apply a vendor-supported kernel update containing the xarray locking correction.
- Confirm fix inclusion using vendor advisories or the referenced stable-kernel commits.
- Prioritize exposed multi-user systems that actively use mlx5 RDMA and implicit ODP.
- If immediate patching is unavailable, consult vendor guidance for supported feature-restriction options.
Validation and detection
- Record kernel package versions and vendor build identifiers across potentially exposed systems.
- Determine whether mlx5_ib is present and RDMA workloads use implicit ODP.
- Verify the deployed kernel contains the referenced locking fix, including vendor backports.
- Review kernel logs for mlx5_ib page-fault warnings or suspicious RCU diagnostics.
- Recheck vendor status because the supplied affected-version ranges appear inconsistent.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
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ATT&CK lookup starting points
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CVE-2025-38372 mapping review
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Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 7.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
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CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H1.85.9LinuxVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9d2ef890e49963b768d4fe5a33029aacd9f6b93fCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ebebffb47c78f63ba7e4fbde393e44af38b7625dCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2c6b640ea08bff1a192bf87fa45246ff1e40767cCVE reference, Linux
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.