Linux Kernel NFC NCI UART Driver Race Condition Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

September 14th, 2026
ZDI-26-685 ZDI-CAN-27262

CVE ID

CVE-2025-38416

CVSS Score

8.8 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors

Linux

Affected Products

Kernel

Vulnerability Details

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 specific flaw exists within the processing of nci_uart objects. The issue results from the lack of proper locking when performing operations on an object. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges and execute code in the context of the kernel.

Additional Details

Linux has issued an update to correct this vulnerability. More details can be found at:
https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/fc27ab48904ceb7e4792f0c400f1ef175edf16fe

Disclosure Timeline

  • 2025-06-17 - Vulnerability reported to vendor
  • 2026-09-14 - Coordinated public release of advisory
  • 2026-09-14 - Advisory Updated

Credit

Maher Azzouzi

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