# CVE-2025-38352: Linux Kernel Time-of-Check Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) Race Condition Vulnerability

- Exploited (CISA KEV): yes, added 2025-09-04
- Published: 2025-07-22
- CVSS: 7.8 HIGH (v3.1)
- EPSS: 1.4% (72th percentile)
- CWE: CWE-367

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

posix-cpu-timers: fix race between handle_posix_cpu_timers() and posix_cpu_timer_del()

If an exiting non-autoreaping task has already passed exit_notify() and
calls handle_posix_cpu_timers() from IRQ, it can be reaped by its parent
or debugger right after unlock_task_sighand().

If a concurrent posix_cpu_timer_del() runs at that moment, it won't be
able to detect timer->it.cpu.firing != 0: cpu_timer_task_rcu() and/or
lock_task_sighand() will fail.

Add the tsk->exit_state check into run_posix_cpu_timers() to fix this.

This fix is not needed if CONFIG_POSIX_CPU_TIMERS_TASK_WORK=y, because
exit_task_work() is called before exit_notify(). But the check still
makes sense, task_work_add(&tsk->posix_cputimers_work.work) will fail
anyway in this case.

## Edge WAF coverage (claimed by vendors, not measured)

| Vendor | Status | First rule | Days after publication |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare | No public claim | — | — |
| AWS | No public claim | — | — |
| Microsoft Azure | No public claim | — | — |
| Google Cloud | No public claim | — | — |
| Fastly | Before feed history | — | — |
| F5 | No public claim | — | — |
| Akamai | No public source | — | — |
| OWASP CRS | No public claim | — | — |

"No public claim" means no vendor statement names this CVE; "Before feed history" means the CVE is older than the vendor feed. In both cases generic rules may still block it.

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