{"cve":"CVE-2025-38017","nvd":{"published":"2025-06-18T10:15:33.310","modified":"2026-06-17T09:15:53.390","status":"Analyzed","description":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nfs/eventpoll: fix endless busy loop after timeout has expired\n\nAfter commit 0a65bc27bd64 (\"eventpoll: Set epoll timeout if it's in\nthe future\"), the following program would immediately enter a busy\nloop in the kernel:\n\n```\nint main() {\n  int e = epoll_create1(0);\n  struct epoll_event event = {.events = EPOLLIN};\n  epoll_ctl(e, EPOLL_CTL_ADD, 0, &event);\n  const struct timespec timeout = {.tv_nsec = 1};\n  epoll_pwait2(e, &event, 1, &timeout, 0);\n}\n```\n\nThis happens because the given (non-zero) timeout of 1 nanosecond\nusually expires before ep_poll() is entered and then\nep_schedule_timeout() returns false, but `timed_out` is never set\nbecause the code line that sets it is skipped.  This quickly turns\ninto a soft lockup, RCU stalls and deadlocks, inflicting severe\nheadaches to the whole system.\n\nWhen the timeout has expired, we don't need to schedule a hrtimer, but\nwe should set the `timed_out` variable.  Therefore, I suggest moving\nthe ep_schedule_timeout() check into the `timed_out` expression\ninstead of skipping it.\n\nbrauner: Note that there was an earlier fix by Joe Damato in response to\nmy bug report in [1].","cvss_v4":null,"cvss_v3":{"version":"3.1","vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H","score":5.5},"cwes":[],"references":["https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7631dca012593c95d36199082546a24a0058fc50","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d9ec73301099ec5975505e1c3effbe768bab9490"],"products":["linux:linux_kernel"],"source":"nvd","synced_at":"2026-10-19T22:03:23.287444849+00:00"},"epss":{"cve":"CVE-2025-38017","score":0.00163,"percentile":0.05503,"date":"2026-10-31"},"kev":null,"osv":[],"attribution":["This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.","EPSS scores: FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System, https://www.first.org/epss","Known exploited vulnerabilities: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog","Package advisories: OSV (https://osv.dev), from the GitHub Advisory Database, PyPA, Go, RustSec and other ecosystem databases, under CC-BY 4.0 or CC0","CVE records: the CVE Program's CVE List (https://www.cve.org), under its terms of use (https://www.cve.org/Legal/TermsOfUse). CVE is a registered trademark of The MITRE Corporation; this product is not affiliated with the CVE Program."]}