# CVE-2025-38268: usb: typec: tcpm: move tcpm_queue_vdm_unlocked to asynchronous work

> A race condition in the Linux kernel USB Type-C driver can cause a deadlock, leading to a denial of service.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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:** 10 Jul 2025
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2025-38268, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-38268, GHSA-mg8g-g7c5-2wpm, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-38268

## What is CVE-2025-38268?

CVE-2025-38268 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 10 Jul 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:

usb: typec: tcpm: move tcpm_queue_vdm_unlocked to asynchronous work

A state check was previously added to tcpm_queue_vdm_unlocked to
prevent a deadlock where the DisplayPort Alt Mode driver would be
executing work and attempting to grab the tcpm_lock while the TCPM
was holding the lock and attempting to unregister the altmode, blocking
on the altmode driver's cancel_work_sync call.

Because the state check isn't protected, there is a small window
where the Alt Mode driver could determine that the TCPM is
in a ready state and attempt to grab the lock while the
TCPM grabs the lock and changes the TCPM state to one that
causes the deadlock. The callstack is provided below:

[110121.667392][    C7] Call trace:
[110121.667396][    C7]  __switch_to+0x174/0x338
[110121.667406][    C7]  __schedule+0x608/0x9f0
[110121.667414][    C7]  schedule+0x7c/0xe8
[110121.667423][    C7]  kernfs_drain+0xb0/0x114
[110121.667431][    C7]  __kernfs_remove+0x16c/0x20c
[110121.667436][    C7]  kernfs_remove_by_name_ns+0x74/0xe8
[110121.667442][    C7]  sysfs_remove_group+0x84/0xe8
[110121.667450][    C7]  sysfs_remove_groups+0x34/0x58
[110121.667458][    C7]  device_remove_groups+0x10/0x20
[110121.667464][    C7]  device_release_driver_internal+0x164/0x2e4
[110121.667475][    C7]  device_release_driver+0x18/0x28
[110121.667484][    C7]  bus_remove_device+0xec/0x118
[110121.667491][    C7]  device_del+0x1e8/0x4ac
[110121.667498][    C7]  device_unregister+0x18/0x38
[110121.667504][    C7]  typec_unregister_altmode+0x30/0x44
[110121.667515][    C7]  tcpm_reset_port+0xac/0x370
[110121.667523][    C7]  tcpm_snk_detach+0x84/0xb8
[110121.667529][    C7]  run_state_machine+0x4c0/0x1b68
[110121.667536][    C7]  tcpm_state_machine_work+0x94/0xe4
[110121.667544][    C7]  kthread_worker_fn+0x10c/0x244
[110121.667552][    C7]  kthread+0x104/0x1d4
[110121.667557][    C7]  ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20

[110121.667689][    C7] Workqueue: events dp_altmode_work
[110121.667697][    C7] Call trace:
[110121.667701][    C7]  __switch_to+0x174/0x338
[110121.667710][    C7]  __schedule+0x608/0x9f0
[110121.667717][    C7]  schedule+0x7c/0xe8
[110121.667725][    C7]  schedule_preempt_disabled+0x24/0x40
[110121.667733][    C7]  __mutex_lock+0x408/0xdac
[110121.667741][    C7]  __mutex_lock_slowpath+0x14/0x24
[110121.667748][    C7]  mutex_lock+0x40/0xec
[110121.667757][    C7]  tcpm_altmode_enter+0x78/0xb4
[110121.667764][    C7]  typec_altmode_enter+0xdc/0x10c
[110121.667769][    C7]  dp_altmode_work+0x68/0x164
[110121.667775][    C7]  process_one_work+0x1e4/0x43c
[110121.667783][    C7]  worker_thread+0x25c/0x430
[110121.667789][    C7]  kthread+0x104/0x1d4
[110121.667794][    C7]  ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20

Change tcpm_queue_vdm_unlocked to queue for tcpm_queue_vdm_work,
which can perform the state check while holding the TCPM lock
while the Alt Mode lock is no longer held. This requires a new
struct to hold the vdm data, altmode_vdm_event.

Weakness: CWE-667 (Improper Locking)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38268?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-38268?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-38268 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38268 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-2025-38268 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-38268 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 10 Jul 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-2025-38268 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-2025-38268/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38268/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-38268
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-38268
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-38268

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38268/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.