ZDI-26-685: Linux Kernel NFC NCI UART Driver Race Condition Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
ZDI discloses a race condition in the Linux kernel NFC NCI UART driver (CVE-2025-38416, CVSS 8.8) allowing local low-privileged attackers to escalate privileges.
ZDI advisory ZDI-26-685 covers a race condition vulnerability in the Linux kernel's NFC NCI UART driver, tracked as CVE-2025-38416 with a CVSS score of 8.8. A local attacker with the ability to execute low-privileged code can exploit the race to escalate privileges on affected systems. Exposure is limited to systems where the NFC NCI UART driver is present, and no exploitation is reported.
- Race condition in Linux kernel NFC NCI UART driver, CVE-2025-38416, CVSS 8.8
- Requires prior local low-privileged code execution to exploit
- Only affects systems with the NFC NCI UART driver loaded
- No indication of in-the-wild exploitation in the advisory
Vulnerabilities mentioned
All| CVE | Vulnerability | CVSS | EPSS | Signals | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2025-38416 | Linux kernel: NFC: nci: uart: Set tty->disc_data only in success path Setting tty->disc_data before opening the NCI device… | 7.8 | <1% |
From the original article
This vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges on affected installations of Linux Kernel. An attacker must first obtain the ability to execute low-privileged code on the target system in order to exploit this vulnerability. The ZDI has assigned a CVSS rating of 8.
zerodayinitiative.com
A short excerpt; the article and its images belong to the publisher. Summary, key facts and assessment above are AI-written from the article and can be wrong.