# CVE-2025-38060: bpf: copy_verifier_state() should copy 'loop_entry' field

> A flaw in the Linux kernel BPF verifier allows unsafe programs to be accepted, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 18 Jun 2025
- **Updated:** 21 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-63989, BELL-CVE-2025-38060, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-38060, GHSA-84rw-8fgg-vwpf, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2025-38060, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2025-38060, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2025-38060, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-38060, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-38060

## What is CVE-2025-38060?

CVE-2025-38060 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 18 Jun 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

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

bpf: copy_verifier_state() should copy 'loop_entry' field

The bpf_verifier_state.loop_entry state should be copied by
copy_verifier_state(). Otherwise, .loop_entry values from unrelated
states would poison env->cur_state.

Additionally, env->stack should not contain any states with
.loop_entry != NULL. The states in env->stack are yet to be verified,
while .loop_entry is set for states that reached an equivalent state.
This means that env->cur_state->loop_entry should always be NULL after
pop_stack().

See the selftest in the next commit for an example of the program that
is not safe yet is accepted by verifier w/o this fix.

This change has some verification performance impact for selftests:

File                                Program                       Insns (A)  Insns (B)  Insns   (DIFF)  States (A)  States (B)  States (DIFF)
----------------------------------  ----------------------------  ---------  ---------  --------------  ----------  ----------  -------------
arena_htab.bpf.o                    arena_htab_llvm                     717        426  -291 (-40.59%)          57          37  -20 (-35.09%)
arena_htab_asm.bpf.o                arena_htab_asm                      597        445  -152 (-25.46%)          47          37  -10 (-21.28%)
arena_list.bpf.o                    arena_list_del                      309        279    -30 (-9.71%)          23          14   -9 (-39.13%)
iters.bpf.o                         iter_subprog_check_stacksafe        155        141    -14 (-9.03%)          15          14    -1 (-6.67%)
iters.bpf.o                         iter_subprog_iters                 1094       1003    -91 (-8.32%)          88          83    -5 (-5.68%)
iters.bpf.o                         loop_state_deps2                    479        725  +246 (+51.36%)          46          63  +17 (+36.96%)
kmem_cache_iter.bpf.o               open_coded_iter                      63         59     -4 (-6.35%)           7           6   -1 (-14.29%)
verifier_bits_iter.bpf.o            max_words                            92         84     -8 (-8.70%)           8           7   -1 (-12.50%)
verifier_iterating_callbacks.bpf.o  cond_break2                         113        107     -6 (-5.31%)          12          12    +0 (+0.00%)

And significant negative impact for sched_ext:

File               Program                 Insns (A)  Insns (B)  Insns         (DIFF)  States (A)  States (B)  States      (DIFF)
-----------------  ----------------------  ---------  ---------  --------------------  ----------  ----------  ------------------
bpf.bpf.o          lavd_init                    7039      14723      +7684 (+109.16%)         490        1139     +649 (+132.45%)
bpf.bpf.o          layered_dispatch            11485      10548         -937 (-8.16%)         848         762       -86 (-10.14%)
bpf.bpf.o          layered_dump                 7422    1000001  +992579 (+13373.47%)         681       31178  +30497 (+4478.27%)
bpf.bpf.o          layered_enqueue             16854      71127     +54273 (+322.02%)        1611        6450    +4839 (+300.37%)
bpf.bpf.o          p2dq_dispatch                 665        791        +126 (+18.95%)          68          78       +10 (+14.71%)
bpf.bpf.o          p2dq_init                    2343       2980        +637 (+27.19%)         201         237       +36 (+17.91%)
bpf.bpf.o          refresh_layer_cpumasks      16487     674760   +658273 (+3992.68%)        1770       65370  +63600 (+3593.22%)
bpf.bpf.o          rusty_select_cpu             1937      40872    +38935 (+2010.07%)         177        3210   +3033 (+1713.56%)
scx_central.bpf.o  central_dispatch              636       2687      +2051 (+322.48%)          63         227     +164 (+260.32%)
scx_nest.bpf.o     nest_init                     636        815        +179 (+28.14%)          60          73       +13 (+21.67%)
scx_qmap.bpf.o     qmap_dispatch      
---truncated---

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38060?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-38060?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-38060 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38060 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-38060 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-38060 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 18 Jun 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38060 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38060/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38060/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-38060
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-38060
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-38060

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38060/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.
