# CVE-2025-38327: fgraph: Do not enable function_graph tracer when setting funcgraph-args

> A logic error in the Linux kernel function graph tracer causes incorrect registration states, potentially leading to warnings or instability when enabling specific tracing options.

- **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-2025-38327, GHSA-wq5h-p4xr-gc2p, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-38327

## What is CVE-2025-38327?

CVE-2025-38327 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:

fgraph: Do not enable function_graph tracer when setting funcgraph-args

When setting the funcgraph-args option when function graph tracer is net
enabled, it incorrectly enables it. Worse, it unregisters itself when it
was never registered. Then when it gets enabled again, it will register
itself a second time causing a WARNing.

 ~# echo 1 > /sys/kernel/tracing/options/funcgraph-args
 ~# head -20 /sys/kernel/tracing/trace
 # tracer: nop
 #
 # entries-in-buffer/entries-written: 813/26317372   #P:8
 #
 #                                _-----=> irqs-off/BH-disabled
 #                               / _----=> need-resched
 #                              | / _---=> hardirq/softirq
 #                              || / _--=> preempt-depth
 #                              ||| / _-=> migrate-disable
 #                              |||| /     delay
 #           TASK-PID     CPU#  |||||  TIMESTAMP  FUNCTION
 #              | |         |   |||||     |         |
           <idle>-0       [007] d..4.   358.966010:  7)   1.692 us    |          fetch_next_timer_interrupt(basej=4294981640, basem=357956000000, base_local=0xffff88823c3ae040, base_global=0xffff88823c3af300, tevt=0xffff888100e47cb8);
           <idle>-0       [007] d..4.   358.966012:  7)               |          tmigr_cpu_deactivate(nextexp=357988000000) {
           <idle>-0       [007] d..4.   358.966013:  7)               |            _raw_spin_lock(lock=0xffff88823c3b2320) {
           <idle>-0       [007] d..4.   358.966014:  7)   0.981 us    |              preempt_count_add(val=1);
           <idle>-0       [007] d..5.   358.966017:  7)   1.058 us    |              do_raw_spin_lock(lock=0xffff88823c3b2320);
           <idle>-0       [007] d..4.   358.966019:  7)   5.824 us    |            }
           <idle>-0       [007] d..5.   358.966021:  7)               |            tmigr_inactive_up(group=0xffff888100cb9000, child=0x0, data=0xffff888100e47bc0) {
           <idle>-0       [007] d..5.   358.966022:  7)               |              tmigr_update_events(group=0xffff888100cb9000, child=0x0, data=0xffff888100e47bc0) {

Notice the "tracer: nop" at the top there. The current tracer is the "nop"
tracer, but the content is obviously the function graph tracer.

Enabling function graph tracing will cause it to register again and
trigger a warning in the accounting:

 ~# echo function_graph > /sys/kernel/tracing/current_tracer
 -bash: echo: write error: Device or resource busy

With the dmesg of:

 ------------[ cut here ]------------
 WARNING: CPU: 7 PID: 1095 at kernel/trace/ftrace.c:3509 ftrace_startup_subops+0xc1e/0x1000
 Modules linked in: kvm_intel kvm irqbypass
 CPU: 7 UID: 0 PID: 1095 Comm: bash Not tainted 6.16.0-rc2-test-00006-gea03de4105d3 #24 PREEMPT
 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS 1.16.3-debian-1.16.3-2 04/01/2014
 RIP: 0010:ftrace_startup_subops+0xc1e/0x1000
 Code: 48 b8 22 01 00 00 00 00 ad de 49 89 84 24 88 01 00 00 8b 44 24 08 89 04 24 e9 c3 f7 ff ff c7 04 24 ed ff ff ff e9 b7 f7 ff ff <0f> 0b c7 04 24 f0 ff ff ff e9 a9 f7 ff ff c7 04 24 f4 ff ff ff e9
 RSP: 0018:ffff888133cff948 EFLAGS: 00010202
 RAX: 0000000000000001 RBX: 1ffff1102679ff31 RCX: 0000000000000000
 RDX: 1ffffffff0b27a60 RSI: ffffffff8593d2f0 RDI: ffffffff85941140
 RBP: 00000000000c2041 R08: ffffffffffffffff R09: ffffed1020240221
 R10: ffff88810120110f R11: ffffed1020240214 R12: ffffffff8593d2f0
 R13: ffffffff8593d300 R14: ffffffff85941140 R15: ffffffff85631100
 FS:  00007f7ec6f28740(0000) GS:ffff8882b5251000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000
 CS:  0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033
 CR2: 00007f7ec6f181c0 CR3: 000000012f1d0005 CR4: 0000000000172ef0
 Call Trace:
  <TASK>
  ? __pfx_ftrace_startup_subops+0x10/0x10
  ? find_held_lock+0x2b/0x80
  ? ftrace_stub_direct_tramp+0x10/0x10
  ? ftrace_stub_direct_tramp+0x10/0x10
  ? trace_preempt_on+0xd0/0x110
  ? __pfx_trace_graph_entry_args+0x10/
---truncated---

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38327?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-38327?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-38327 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38327 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-2025-38327 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-38327 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-2025-38327 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-2025-38327/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38327/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-38327
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-38327
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-38327

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38327/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.
