HighFix available

tracing: Verify event formats that have "%*p.."

Type: advisorySources: OSV

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tracing: Verify event formats that have "%*p.." The trace event verifier checks the formats of trace events to make sure that they do not point at memory that is not in the trace event itself or in data that will never be freed. If an event references data that was allocated when the event triggered and that same data is freed before the event is read, then the kernel can crash by reading freed memory. The verifier runs at boot up (or module load) and scans the print formats of the events and checks their arguments to make sure that dereferenced pointers are safe. If the format uses "%*p.." the verifier will ignore it, and that could be dangerous. Cover this case as well. Also add to the sample code a use case of "%*pbl".

Products: Kernel
Affected versions: Not specified
Fixed versions: 6.1.136, 6.12.26, 6.13.11, 6.14.2, 6.6.89
CVEs: CVE-2025-37938
Confirmed fixed CVEs: Not specified
Updated in this feed: 3 Nov 2026, 02:02 UTC · Revision 1

Source evidence

tracing: Verify event formats that have "%*p.."

core-osv · Original source

Published 20 May 2025, 15:34 UTC

osv:CVE-2025-37938

Kernel

Fixed versions: 6.1.136, 6.6.89, 6.12.26, 6.13.11, 6.14.2

Complete source record

{
  "id": "3773869797a05a0c3deb8015218ee0c54f4de514ae0acd2dd7c2ac45ae54a4b6",
  "url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-37938",
  "method": "structured",
  "payload": {
    "kind": "advisory",
    "title": "tracing: Verify event formats that have \"%*p..\"",
    "summary": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tracing: Verify event formats that have \"%*p..\" The trace event verifier checks the formats of trace events to make sure that they do not point at memory that is not in the trace event itself or in data that will never be freed. If an event references data that was allocated when the event triggered and that same data is freed before the event is read, then the kernel can crash by reading freed memory. The verifier runs at boot up (or module load) and scans the print formats of the events and checks their arguments to make sure that dereferenced pointers are safe. If the format uses \"%*p..\" the verifier will ignore it, and that could be dangerous. Cover this case as well. Also add to the sample code a use case of \"%*pbl\".",
    "evidence": "osv:CVE-2025-37938",
    "products": [
      {
        "name": {
          "value": "Kernel",
          "evidence": "/affected/1/package/name"
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        "prerequisites": [],
        "fixed_versions": [
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            "value": "6.1.136",
            "evidence": "/affected/1/ranges"
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          {
            "value": "6.6.89",
            "evidence": "/affected/1/ranges"
          },
          {
            "value": "6.12.26",
            "evidence": "/affected/1/ranges"
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          {
            "value": "6.13.11",
            "evidence": "/affected/1/ranges"
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          {
            "value": "6.14.2",
            "evidence": "/affected/1/ranges"
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        "affected_versions": []
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    "severity": "high",
    "structured": {
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      "aliases": [
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      "metrics": [
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          "type": "CVSS_V3",
          "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H"
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      "affected": [
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                },
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              ]
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          ],
          "package": {
            "name": "Kernel",
            "ecosystem": "Linux"
          },
          "database_specific": {
            "source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/cve-osv-conversion/osv-output/CVE-2025-37938.json"
          }
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      ],
      "modified": "2026-10-28T02:30:25.292155938Z",
      "provider": "osv",
      "references": [
        "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/03127354027508d076073b020d3070990fd6a958",
        "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/04b80d45ecfaf780981d6582899e3ab205e4aa08",
        "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4d11fac941d83509be4e6a21038281d6d96da50c",
        "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6854c87ac823181c810f8c07489ba543260c0023",
        "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c7204fd1758c0caf1938e8a59809a1fdf28a8114",
        "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ea8d7647f9ddf1f81e2027ed305299797299aa03",
        "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/05/msg00045.html",
        "https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2025/37xxx/CVE-2025-37938.json",
        "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-37938",
        "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git"
      ],
      "provider_metadata": {
        "cna_assigner": "Linux",
        "osv_generated_from": "https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2025/37xxx/CVE-2025-37938.json"
      }
    },
    "related_cves": [
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    "security_relevant": true,
    "severity_evidence": "/severity/0/score"
  },
  "source_id": "core-osv",
  "document_id": 491761,
  "published_at": "2025-05-20T15:34:40.509+00:00"
}