CVE-2025-38109

Kernel use-after-free via retained vport ACL table

Published Jul 3, 2025 · Updated Jun 11, 2026

Use-after-free in the Linux kernel mlx5 driver allows local users to trigger invalid kernel memory access during BlueField system shutdown. The mlx5 ECVF enable and disable paths wrongly condition cleanup on ecpf_vport_exists, leaving the vport ACL ingress table to be destroyed again. Reachability requires a BlueField device with an embedded-chip virtual function and shutdown; the observed result is a refcount underflow and kernel warning.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.17%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Use-after-free in the Linux kernel mlx5 driver allows local users to trigger invalid kernel memory access during BlueField system shutdown. The mlx5 ECVF enable and disable paths wrongly condition cleanup on ecpf_vport_exists, leaving the vport ACL ingress table to be destroyed again. Reachability requires a BlueField device with an embedded-chip virtual function and shutdown; the observed result is a refcount underflow and kernel warning.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-38109
Published
Jul 3, 2025
Updated
Jun 11, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-416
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jul 3, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Jun 11, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=6.5
  2. Affected versionversion=a7719b29a82199b90ebbf355d3332e0fbfbf6045 <24db585d369f949f698e03d7d8017e5ae19d0497
  3. Affected versionversion=a7719b29a82199b90ebbf355d3332e0fbfbf6045 <5953ae44dfe5dbad374318875be834c3b7b71ee6
  4. Affected versionversion=a7719b29a82199b90ebbf355d3332e0fbfbf6045 <687560d8a9a2d654829ad0da1ec24242f1de711d
  5. Affected versionversion=a7719b29a82199b90ebbf355d3332e0fbfbf6045 <da15ca0553325acf68039015f2f4db750c8e2b96

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=6.5; version=a7719b29a82199b90ebbf355d3332e0fbfbf6045 <24db585d369f949f698e03d7d8017e5ae19d0497; version=a7719b29a82199b90ebbf355d3332e0fbfbf6045 <5953ae44dfe5dbad374318875be834c3b7b71ee6; version=a7719b29a82199b90ebbf355d3332e0fbfbf6045 <687560d8a9a2d654829ad0da1ec24242f1de711d; version=a7719b29a82199b90ebbf355d3332e0fbfbf6045 <da15ca0553325acf68039015f2f4db750c8e2b96

Published CVSS scores

7.8NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-416Use After Free

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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