CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2025-38118NVD status: Modified

Linux: Use After Free

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2025-38118 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. The record lists versions 3c9aba9cbdf163e2654be9f82d43ff8a04273962, 9f66b6531c2b4e996bb61720ee94adb4b2e8d1be, 9df3e5e7f7e4653fd9802878cedc36defc5ef42d as the first without the flaw, so updating Linux to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.2% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Update Linux to 3c9aba9cbdf163e2654be9f82d43ff8a04273962 or 9f66b6531c2b4e996bb61720ee94adb4b2e8d1be or 9df3e5e7f7e4653fd9802878cedc36defc5ef42d or 32aa2fbe319f33b0318ec6f4fceb63879771a286, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  2. Update Linux Kernel to 6.1.142 or 6.6.94 or 6.12.34 or 6.15.3, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
LinuxLinux66bd095ab5d408af106808cce302406542f70f65 up to, but not including, 3c9aba9cbdf163e2654be9f82d43ff8a04273962; 66bd095ab5d408af106808cce302406542f70f65 up to, but not including, 9f66b6531c2b4e996bb61720ee94adb4b2e8d1be; 66bd095ab5d408af106808cce302406542f70f65 up to, but not including, 9df3e5e7f7e4653fd9802878cedc36defc5ef42d; 66bd095ab5d408af106808cce302406542f70f65 up to, but not including, 32aa2fbe319f33b0318ec6f4fceb63879771a286; 66bd095ab5d408af106808cce302406542f70f65 up to, but not including, e6ed54e86aae9e4f7286ce8d5c73780f91b48d1c; 5.123c9aba9cbdf163e2654be9f82d43ff8a04273962, 9f66b6531c2b4e996bb61720ee94adb4b2e8d1be, 9df3e5e7f7e4653fd9802878cedc36defc5ef42d, 32aa2fbe319f33b0318ec6f4fceb63879771a286, e6ed54e86aae9e4f7286ce8d5c73780f91b48d1c
LinuxLinux Kernel5.12 up to, but not including, 6.1.142; 6.2 up to, but not including, 6.6.94; 6.7 up to, but not including, 6.12.34; 6.13 up to, but not including, 6.15.3; 6.166.1.142, 6.6.94, 6.12.34, 6.15.3
DebianDebian Linux11.0Not stated

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
LowA basic user account is enough.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by NVD.

Scoring systemScoreSeverityScored by
CVSS 3.17.8HighCNA
CVSS 3.17.8HighNVD

Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: Bluetooth: MGMT: Fix UAF on mgmt_remove_adv_monitor_complete This reworks MGMT_OP_REMOVE_ADV_MONITOR to not use mgmt_pending_add to avoid crashes like bellow: ================================================================== BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in mgmt_remove_adv_monitor_complete+0xe5/0x540 net/bluetooth/mgmt.c:5406 Read of size 8 at addr ffff88801c53f318 by task kworker/u5:5/5341 CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 5341 Comm: kworker/u5:5 Not tainted 6.15.0-syzkaller-10402-g4cb6c8af8591 #0 PREEMPT(full) Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS 1.16.3-debian-1.16.3-2~bpo12+1 04/01/2014 Workqueue: hci0 hci_cmd_sync_work Call Trace: <TASK> dump_stack_lvl+0x189/0x250 lib/dump_stack.c:120 print_address_description mm/kasan/report.c:408 [inline] print_report+0xd2/0x2b0 mm/kasan/report.c:521 kasan_report+0x118/0x150 mm/kasan/report.c:634 mgmt_remove_adv_monitor_complete+0xe5/0x540 net/bluetooth/mgmt.c:5406 hci_cmd_sync_work+0x261/0x3a0 net/bluetooth/hci_sync.c:334 process_one_work kernel/workqueue.c:3238 [inline] process_scheduled_works+0xade/0x17b0 kernel/workqueue.c:3321 worker_thread+0x8a0/0xda0 kernel/workqueue.c:3402 kthread+0x711/0x8a0 kernel/kthread.c:464 ret_from_fork+0x3fc/0x770 arch/x86/kernel/process.c:148 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:245 </TASK> Allocated by task 5987: kasan_save_stack mm/kasan/common.c:47 [inline] kasan_save_track+0x3e/0x80 mm/kasan/common.c:68 poison_kmalloc_redzone mm/kasan/common.c:377 [inline] __kasan_kmalloc+0x93/0xb0 mm/kasan/common.c:394 kasan_kmalloc include/linux/kasan.h:260 [inline] __kmalloc_cache_noprof+0x230/0x3d0 mm/slub.c:4358 kmalloc_noprof include/linux/slab.h:905 [inline] kzalloc_noprof include/linux/slab.h:1039 [inline] mgmt_pending_new+0x65/0x240 net/bluetooth/mgmt_util.c:252 mgmt_pending_add+0x34/0x120 net/bluetooth/mgmt_util.c:279 remove_adv_monitor+0x103/0x1b0 net/bluetooth/mgmt.c:5454 hci_mgmt_cmd+0x9c9/0xef0 net/bluetooth/hci_sock.c:1719 hci_sock_sendmsg+0x6ca/0xef0 net/bluetooth/hci_sock.c:1839 sock_sendmsg_nosec net/socket.c:712 [inline] __sock_sendmsg+0x219/0x270 net/socket.c:727 sock_write_iter+0x258/0x330 net/socket.c:1131 new_sync_write fs/read_write.c:593 [inline] vfs_write+0x548/0xa90 fs/read_write.c:686 ksys_write+0x145/0x250 fs/read_write.c:738 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:63 [inline] do_syscall_64+0xfa/0x3b0 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:94 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f Freed by task 5989: kasan_save_stack mm/kasan/common.c:47 [inline] kasan_save_track+0x3e/0x80 mm/kasan/common.c:68 kasan_save_free_info+0x46/0x50 mm/kasan/generic.c:576 poison_slab_object mm/kasan/common.c:247 [inline] __kasan_slab_free+0x62/0x70 mm/kasan/common.c:264 kasan_slab_free include/linux/kasan.h:233 [inline] slab_free_hook mm/slub.c:2380 [inline] slab_free mm/slub.c:4642 [inline] kfree+0x18e/0x440 mm/slub.c:4841 mgmt_pending_foreach+0xc9/0x120 net/bluetooth/mgmt_util.c:242 mgmt_index_removed+0x10d/0x2f0 net/bluetooth/mgmt.c:9366 hci_sock_bind+0xbe9/0x1000 net/bluetooth/hci_sock.c:1314 __sys_bind_socket net/socket.c:1810 [inline] __sys_bind+0x2c3/0x3e0 net/socket.c:1841 __do_sys_bind net/socket.c:1846 [inline] __se_sys_bind net/socket.c:1844 [inline] __x64_sys_bind+0x7a/0x90 net/socket.c:1844 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:63 [inline] do_syscall_64+0xfa/0x3b0 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:94 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Use After Free

The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory belongs to the code that operates on the new pointer.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Choose a language that provides automatic memory management.
  • When freeing pointers, be sure to set them to NULL once they are freed. However, the utilization of multiple or complex data structures may lower the usefulness of this strategy.

More Use After Free vulnerabilities (CWE-416)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Third-party and government advisories

Recent Use After Free vulnerabilities

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