Linux: Double Free
CVE-2025-71238 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 057a5bdc481e58ab853117254867ffb22caf9f6e, f2bbb4db0e4a4fbd5e649c0b5d8733f61da24720, 27ac9679c43a09e54e2d9aae9980ada045b428e0 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 0.22% 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 057a5bdc481e58ab853117254867ffb22caf9f6e or f2bbb4db0e4a4fbd5e649c0b5d8733f61da24720 or 27ac9679c43a09e54e2d9aae9980ada045b428e0 or 74e7458537cd9349cf019862e51491f670871707, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Linux Kernel to 5.10.251 or 5.15.201 or 6.1.164 or 6.6.127, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 1b81e7f3019d632a707e07927e946ffbbc102910 up to, but not including, 057a5bdc481e58ab853117254867ffb22caf9f6e; 1b81e7f3019d632a707e07927e946ffbbc102910 up to, but not including, f2bbb4db0e4a4fbd5e649c0b5d8733f61da24720; 1b81e7f3019d632a707e07927e946ffbbc102910 up to, but not including, 27ac9679c43a09e54e2d9aae9980ada045b428e0; 1b81e7f3019d632a707e07927e946ffbbc102910 up to, but not including, 74e7458537cd9349cf019862e51491f670871707; 1b81e7f3019d632a707e07927e946ffbbc102910 up to, but not including, 871f6236da96c4a9712b8a29d7f555f767a47e95; 1b81e7f3019d632a707e07927e946ffbbc102910 up to, but not including, 31f33b856d2324d86bcaef295f4d210477a1c018; 1b81e7f3019d632a707e07927e946ffbbc102910 up to, but not including, 708003e1bc857dd014d4c44278d7d77c26f91b1c; 1b81e7f3019d632a707e07927e946ffbbc102910 up to, but not including, c2c68225b1456f4d0d393b5a8778d51bb0d5b1d0; and 1 more ranges | 057a5bdc481e58ab853117254867ffb22caf9f6e, f2bbb4db0e4a4fbd5e649c0b5d8733f61da24720, 27ac9679c43a09e54e2d9aae9980ada045b428e0, 74e7458537cd9349cf019862e51491f670871707, 871f6236da96c4a9712b8a29d7f555f767a47e95, 31f33b856d2324d86bcaef295f4d210477a1c018 |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | 5.7 up to, but not including, 5.10.251; 5.11 up to, but not including, 5.15.201; 5.16 up to, but not including, 6.1.164; 6.2 up to, but not including, 6.6.127; 6.7 up to, but not including, 6.12.74; 6.13 up to, but not including, 6.18.13; 6.19 up to, but not including, 6.19.3 | 5.10.251, 5.15.201, 6.1.164, 6.6.127, 6.12.74, 6.18.13 |
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: scsi: qla2xxx: Fix bsg_done() causing double free Kernel panic observed on system, [5353358.825191] BUG: unable to handle page fault for address: ff5f5e897b024000 [5353358.825194] #PF: supervisor write access in kernel mode [5353358.825195] #PF: error_code(0x0002) - not-present page [5353358.825196] PGD 100006067 P4D 0 [5353358.825198] Oops: 0002 [#1] PREEMPT SMP NOPTI [5353358.825200] CPU: 5 PID: 2132085 Comm: qlafwupdate.sub Kdump: loaded Tainted: G W L ------- --- 5.14.0-503.34.1.el9_5.x86_64 #1 [5353358.825203] Hardware name: HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen11/ProLiant DL360 Gen11, BIOS 2.44 01/17/2025 [5353358.825204] RIP: 0010:memcpy_erms+0x6/0x10 [5353358.825211] RSP: 0018:ff591da8f4f6b710 EFLAGS: 00010246 [5353358.825212] RAX: ff5f5e897b024000 RBX: 0000000000007090 RCX: 0000000000001000 [5353358.825213] RDX: 0000000000001000 RSI: ff591da8f4fed090 RDI: ff5f5e897b024000 [5353358.825214] RBP: 0000000000010000 R08: ff5f5e897b024000 R09: 0000000000000000 [5353358.825215] R10: ff46cf8c40517000 R11: 0000000000000001 R12: 0000000000008090 [5353358.825216] R13: ff591da8f4f6b720 R14: 0000000000001000 R15: 0000000000000000 [5353358.825218] FS: 00007f1e88d47740(0000) GS:ff46cf935f940000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 [5353358.825219] CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 [5353358.825220] CR2: ff5f5e897b024000 CR3: 0000000231532004 CR4: 0000000000771ef0 [5353358.825221] PKRU: 55555554 [5353358.825222] Call Trace: [5353358.825223] <TASK> [5353358.825224] ? show_trace_log_lvl+0x1c4/0x2df [5353358.825229] ? show_trace_log_lvl+0x1c4/0x2df [5353358.825232] ? sg_copy_buffer+0xc8/0x110 [5353358.825236] ? __die_body.cold+0x8/0xd [5353358.825238] ? page_fault_oops+0x134/0x170 [5353358.825242] ? kernelmode_fixup_or_oops+0x84/0x110 [5353358.825244] ? exc_page_fault+0xa8/0x150 [5353358.825247] ? asm_exc_page_fault+0x22/0x30 [5353358.825252] ? memcpy_erms+0x6/0x10 [5353358.825253] sg_copy_buffer+0xc8/0x110 [5353358.825259] qla2x00_process_vendor_specific+0x652/0x1320 [qla2xxx] [5353358.825317] qla24xx_bsg_request+0x1b2/0x2d0 [qla2xxx] Most routines in qla_bsg.c call bsg_done() only for success cases. However a few invoke it for failure case as well leading to a double free. Validate before calling bsg_done().
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.
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Patches and release notes
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/057a5bdc481e58ab853117254867ffb22caf9f6e
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/27ac9679c43a09e54e2d9aae9980ada045b428e0
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/31f33b856d2324d86bcaef295f4d210477a1c018
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/708003e1bc857dd014d4c44278d7d77c26f91b1c
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/74e7458537cd9349cf019862e51491f670871707
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/871f6236da96c4a9712b8a29d7f555f767a47e95
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/c2c68225b1456f4d0d393b5a8778d51bb0d5b1d0
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/f2bbb4db0e4a4fbd5e649c0b5d8733f61da24720
Recent Double Free vulnerabilities
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
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