CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2025-38313NVD status: Analyzed

Linux: Double Free

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2025-38313 is a high-severity double 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 12e4431e5078847791936820bd39df9e1ee26d2e, 3135e03a92f6b5259d0a7f25f728e9e7866ede3f, 7002b954c4a8b9965ba0f139812ee4a6f71beac8 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 0.19% 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 12e4431e5078847791936820bd39df9e1ee26d2e or 3135e03a92f6b5259d0a7f25f728e9e7866ede3f or 7002b954c4a8b9965ba0f139812ee4a6f71beac8 or b2057374f326303c86d8423415ab58656eebc695, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  2. Update Linux Kernel to 5.4.295 or 5.10.239 or 5.15.186 or 6.1.142, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
LinuxLinuxa042fbed02904493ae6df26ec836045f5a7d3ce2 up to, but not including, 12e4431e5078847791936820bd39df9e1ee26d2e; a042fbed02904493ae6df26ec836045f5a7d3ce2 up to, but not including, 3135e03a92f6b5259d0a7f25f728e9e7866ede3f; a042fbed02904493ae6df26ec836045f5a7d3ce2 up to, but not including, 7002b954c4a8b9965ba0f139812ee4a6f71beac8; a042fbed02904493ae6df26ec836045f5a7d3ce2 up to, but not including, b2057374f326303c86d8423415ab58656eebc695; a042fbed02904493ae6df26ec836045f5a7d3ce2 up to, but not including, 4b23c46eb2d88924b93aca647bde9a4b9cf62cf9; a042fbed02904493ae6df26ec836045f5a7d3ce2 up to, but not including, 1d5baab39e5b09a76870b345cdee7933871b881f; a042fbed02904493ae6df26ec836045f5a7d3ce2 up to, but not including, 873d47114fd5e5a1cad2018843671537cc71ac84; a042fbed02904493ae6df26ec836045f5a7d3ce2 up to, but not including, d694bf8a9acdbd061596f3e7549bc8cb70750a60; and 1 more ranges12e4431e5078847791936820bd39df9e1ee26d2e, 3135e03a92f6b5259d0a7f25f728e9e7866ede3f, 7002b954c4a8b9965ba0f139812ee4a6f71beac8, b2057374f326303c86d8423415ab58656eebc695, 4b23c46eb2d88924b93aca647bde9a4b9cf62cf9, 1d5baab39e5b09a76870b345cdee7933871b881f
LinuxLinux Kernel4.13 up to, but not including, 5.4.295; 5.5 up to, but not including, 5.10.239; 5.11 up to, but not including, 5.15.186; 5.16 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, 6.15.35.4.295, 5.10.239, 5.15.186, 6.1.142, 6.6.94, 6.12.34
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.

Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bus: fsl-mc: fix double-free on mc_dev The blamed commit tried to simplify how the deallocations are done but, in the process, introduced a double-free on the mc_dev variable. In case the MC device is a DPRC, a new mc_bus is allocated and the mc_dev variable is just a reference to one of its fields. In this circumstance, on the error path only the mc_bus should be freed. This commit introduces back the following checkpatch warning which is a false-positive. WARNING: kfree(NULL) is safe and this check is probably not required + if (mc_bus) + kfree(mc_bus);

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

The underlying weakness: Double Free

The product calls free() twice on the same memory address.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Choose a language that provides automatic memory management.
  • Ensure that each allocation is freed only once. After freeing a chunk, set the pointer to NULL to ensure the pointer cannot be freed again. In complicated error conditions, be sure that clean-up routines respect the state of allocation properly. If the language is object oriented, ensure that object destructors delete each chunk of memory only once.
  • Use a static analysis tool to find double free instances.

More Double Free vulnerabilities (CWE-415)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Recent Double Free vulnerabilities

Spotted an error? Tell us.