CVE-2025-38563

The perf mmap code is careful about mmap()'ing the user page with the ringbuffer and additionally the auxiliary buffer, when the event supports it. Once the first mapping is established, subsequent mapping have to use the same offset and the same size in both cases. The reference counting for the ringbuffer and the auxiliary buffer depends on this being correct.

Though perf does not prevent that a related mapping is split via mmap(2), munmap(2) or mremap(2). A split of a VMA results in perfmmapopen() calls, which take reference counts, but then the subsequent perfmmapclose() calls are not longer fulfilling the offset and size checks. This leads to reference count leaks.

As perf already has the requirement for subsequent mappings to match the initial mapping, the obvious consequence is that VMA splits, caused by resizing of a mapping or partial unmapping, have to be prevented.

Implement the vmoperationsstruct::may_split() callback and return unconditionally -EINVAL.

That ensures that the mapping offsets and sizes cannot be changed after the fact. Remapping to a different fixed address with the same size is still possible as it takes the references for the new mapping and drops those of the old mapping.

Database specific

{
    "osv_generated_from": "https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2025/38xxx/CVE-2025-38563.json",
    "cna_assigner": "Linux"
}

References

Affected packages

Linux / Kernel

Package

Name: Kernel

Affected ranges

Type: ECOSYSTEM
Events: Introduced

4.1.0

Fixed

5.4.297

Type: ECOSYSTEM
Events: Introduced

5.5.0

Fixed

5.10.241

Type: ECOSYSTEM
Events: Introduced

5.11.0

Fixed

5.15.190

Type: ECOSYSTEM
Events: Introduced

5.16.0

Fixed

6.1.148

Type: ECOSYSTEM
Events: Introduced

6.2.0

Fixed

6.6.102

Type: ECOSYSTEM
Events: Introduced

6.7.0

Fixed

6.12.42

Type: ECOSYSTEM
Events: Introduced

6.13.0

Fixed

6.15.10

Type: ECOSYSTEM
Events: Introduced

6.16.0

Fixed

6.16.1

Database specific

source

"https://storage.googleapis.com/osv-test-cve-osv-conversion/osv-output/CVE-2025-38563.json"