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NVD / CVE Program· CNA Linux

CVE-2025-38537: net: phy: Don't register LEDs for genphy

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 22/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.16% (FIRST EPSS).
  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: Linux Linux 75e1b2079ef0653a2f7aa69be515d86b7faf1908, ec158d05eaa91b2809cab65f8068290e3c05ebdd, f0f2b992d8185a0366be951685e08643aae17d6d; azl3 kernel 6.6.96.2-2 on Azure Linux 3.0 6.6.104.2-1.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to Linux Linux 75e1b2079ef0653a2f7aa69be515d86b7faf1908, ec158d05eaa91b2809cab65f8068290e3c05ebdd, f0f2b992d8185a0366be951685e08643aae17d6d; azl3 kernel 6.6.96.2-2 on Azure Linux 3.0 6.6.104.2-1 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: phy: Don't register LEDs for genphy If a PHY has no driver, the genphy driver is probed/removed directly in phy_attach/detach. If the PHY's ofnode has an "leds" subnode, then the LEDs will be (un)registered when probing/removing the genphy driver. This could occur if the leds are for a non-generic driver that isn't loaded for whatever reason. Synchronously removing the PHY device in phy_detach leads to the following deadlock: rtnl_lock() ndo_close() ... phy_detach() phy_remove() phy_leds_unregister() led_classdev_unregister() led_trigger_set() netdev_trigger_deactivate() unregister_netdevice_notifier() rtnl_lock() There is a corresponding deadlock on the open/register side of things (and that one is reported by lockdep), but it requires a race while this one is deterministic. Generic PHYs do not support LEDs anyway, so don't bother registering them.

MediumCVSS 5.5 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
Aug 16, 2025
Updated
Nov 5, 2026
EPSS
0.1% · 5th percentile
CWE
—

Report tools

JSON

Action score

22

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
22 / 40 · 5.5 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.1%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
partial

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2025-38537

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
linuxlinux kernel

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • linux linux kernel6.4 and later · before 6.6.100
  • linux linux kernel6.7 and later · before 6.12.40
  • linux linux kernel6.13 and later · before 6.15.8
  • linux linux kernel6.16

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (Linux). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Linux Linux

    • 6.4affected
    • 01e5b728e9e43ae444e0369695a5f72209906464 and later · before ec158d05eaa91b2809cab65f8068290e3c05ebddaffected · git
    • 01e5b728e9e43ae444e0369695a5f72209906464 and later · before fd6493533af9e5d73d0d42ff2a8ded978a701dc6affected · git
    • 01e5b728e9e43ae444e0369695a5f72209906464 and later · before 75e1b2079ef0653a2f7aa69be515d86b7faf1908affected · git
    • 01e5b728e9e43ae444e0369695a5f72209906464 and later · before f0f2b992d8185a0366be951685e08643aae17d6daffected · git
    • before 6.4not affected · semver
    • 6.6.100 and later · up to and including 6.6.*not affected · semver
    • 6.12.40 and later · up to and including 6.12.*not affected · semver
    • 6.15.8 and later · up to and including 6.15.*not affected · semver
    • 6.16 and laternot affected · original_commit_for_fix

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:13linuxbefore 6.12.41-16.12.41-1
Debian:14linuxbefore 6.16.3-16.16.3-1

Same product

linux: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2026-31431crypto: algif_aead - Revert to operating out-of-placeKEV
    90Now
  • CVE-2022-0847A flaw was found in the way the "flags" member of the new pipe buffer structure was lacking proper initialization in copy_page_to_iter_pipe KEV
    89Now
  • CVE-2021-22555Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACEKEV
    85Now

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2025-38531Aug 16, 2025 · iio: common: st_sensors: Fix use of uninitialize device structs
    22Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2025-38535Aug 16, 2025 · phy: tegra: xusb: Fix unbalanced regulator disable in UTMI PHY mode
    31Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2025-38539Aug 16, 2025 · tracing: Add down_write(trace_event_sem) when adding trace event
    22Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
Linux Linux75e1b2079ef0653a2f7aa69be515d86b7faf1908Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxec158d05eaa91b2809cab65f8068290e3c05ebddVendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxf0f2b992d8185a0366be951685e08643aae17d6dVendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxfd6493533af9e5d73d0d42ff2a8ded978a701dc6Vendor (CNA)
azl3 kernel 6.6.96.2-2 on Azure Linux 3.06.6.104.2-1 · CBL-Mariner ReleasesMicrosoft (MSRC)
debian:linux6.12.41-1 · Debian:13Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

No history yet (it accumulates with the daily EPSS job).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
  • A low-privileged account is enough.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
none
Integrity
none
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
None
Integrity impact
None
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

—

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

nvd-primary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.

Change log

  1. SSVC exploitation— → none
  2. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Show all references (3 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records