Linux: Use After Free
CVE-2025-38369 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 e0051a3daa8b2cb318b03b2f9317c3e40855847a, 98fd66c8ba77e3a7137575f610271014bc0e701f, aee7a7439f8c0884da87694a401930204a57128f 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.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update Linux to e0051a3daa8b2cb318b03b2f9317c3e40855847a or 98fd66c8ba77e3a7137575f610271014bc0e701f or aee7a7439f8c0884da87694a401930204a57128f or 17502e7d7b7113346296f6758324798d536c31fd, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Linux Kernel to 6.6.96 or 6.12.36 or 6.15.5, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | bfe1d56091c1a404b3d4ce7e9809d745fc4453bb up to, but not including, e0051a3daa8b2cb318b03b2f9317c3e40855847a; bfe1d56091c1a404b3d4ce7e9809d745fc4453bb up to, but not including, 98fd66c8ba77e3a7137575f610271014bc0e701f; bfe1d56091c1a404b3d4ce7e9809d745fc4453bb up to, but not including, aee7a7439f8c0884da87694a401930204a57128f; bfe1d56091c1a404b3d4ce7e9809d745fc4453bb up to, but not including, 17502e7d7b7113346296f6758324798d536c31fd; 5.6 | e0051a3daa8b2cb318b03b2f9317c3e40855847a, 98fd66c8ba77e3a7137575f610271014bc0e701f, aee7a7439f8c0884da87694a401930204a57128f, 17502e7d7b7113346296f6758324798d536c31fd |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | 5.6 up to, but not including, 6.6.96; 6.7 up to, but not including, 6.12.36; 6.13 up to, but not including, 6.15.5 | 6.6.96, 6.12.36, 6.15.5 |
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: dmaengine: idxd: Check availability of workqueue allocated by idxd wq driver before using Running IDXD workloads in a container with the /dev directory mounted can trigger a call trace or even a kernel panic when the parent process of the container is terminated. This issue occurs because, under certain configurations, Docker does not properly propagate the mount replica back to the original mount point. In this case, when the user driver detaches, the WQ is destroyed but it still calls destroy_workqueue() attempting to completes all pending work. It's necessary to check wq->wq and skip the drain if it no longer exists.
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.
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: partial).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Patches and release notes
Recent Use After Free vulnerabilities
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
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