The Linux kernel contains a flaw in the I3C master driver where device registration is performed while holding a read lock. A device probe callback re‑acquires the same read lock, which the kernel’s read/write semaphore does not support for recursive locks. This can cause a deadlock when a writer is waiting, potentially halting kernel threads that manage I3C devices. The vulnerability does not provide code‑execution or data‑exposure capabilities; the primary consequence is denial of service at the kernel level, which may result in a system freeze or reboot.

The issue exists in the Linux kernel in the i3c_master_register_new_i3c_devs function before the fix introduced in the referenced patches. All kernel versions that contain this code without the patch are affected. No explicit version or vendor ranges are provided, but any distribution kernel that has not incorporated the commit is at risk.

The EPSS score is reported as less than 1%, indicating a very low probability of exploitation in the wild. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog, implying no known active exploits. An attacker would need local, privileged access to trigger I3C device bind/unbind operations to reach the vulnerable code path. Given this local requirement and the low EPSS, the overall risk is moderate to low, though a successful exploitation would cause significant service disruption.