CVE-2025-38169 Affecting kernel-default-vdso package, versions <6.12.0-160000.6.1


Severity

Recommended
0.0
low
0
10

Based on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server security rating.

Threat Intelligence

EPSS
0.03% (9th percentile)

Do your applications use this vulnerable package?

In a few clicks we can analyze your entire application and see what components are vulnerable in your application, and suggest you quick fixes.

Test your applications
  • Snyk IDSNYK-SLES1600-KERNELDEFAULTVDSO-13930642
  • published13 Nov 2025
  • disclosed6 Nov 2025

Introduced: 6 Nov 2025

NewCVE-2025-38169  (opens in a new tab)

How to fix?

Upgrade SLES:16.0.0 kernel-default-vdso to version 6.12.0-160000.6.1 or higher.

NVD Description

Note: Versions mentioned in the description apply only to the upstream kernel-default-vdso package and not the kernel-default-vdso package as distributed by SLES. See How to fix? for SLES:16.0.0 relevant fixed versions and status.

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

arm64/fpsimd: Avoid clobbering kernel FPSIMD state with SMSTOP

On system with SME, a thread's kernel FPSIMD state may be erroneously clobbered during a context switch immediately after that state is restored. Systems without SME are unaffected.

If the CPU happens to be in streaming SVE mode before a context switch to a thread with kernel FPSIMD state, fpsimd_thread_switch() will restore the kernel FPSIMD state using fpsimd_load_kernel_state() while the CPU is still in streaming SVE mode. When fpsimd_thread_switch() subsequently calls fpsimd_flush_cpu_state(), this will execute an SMSTOP, causing an exit from streaming SVE mode. The exit from streaming SVE mode will cause the hardware to reset a number of FPSIMD/SVE/SME registers, clobbering the FPSIMD state.

Fix this by calling fpsimd_flush_cpu_state() before restoring the kernel FPSIMD state.

CVSS Base Scores

version 3.1