# CVE-2025-37779: lib/iov_iter: fix to increase non slab folio refcount

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's iov_iter component allows attackers to cause system crashes or potentially execute code via crafted filesystem operations.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 1 May 2025
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2025-37779, GHSA-7pwg-2v7p-j53q, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-37779

## What is CVE-2025-37779?

CVE-2025-37779 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 1 May 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

lib/iov_iter: fix to increase non slab folio refcount

When testing EROFS file-backed mount over v9fs on qemu, I encountered a
folio UAF issue.  The page sanity check reports the following call trace. 
The root cause is that pages in bvec are coalesced across a folio bounary.
The refcount of all non-slab folios should be increased to ensure
p9_releas_pages can put them correctly.

BUG: Bad page state in process md5sum  pfn:18300
page: refcount:0 mapcount:0 mapping:00000000d5ad8e4e index:0x60 pfn:0x18300
head: order:0 mapcount:0 entire_mapcount:0 nr_pages_mapped:0 pincount:0
aops:z_erofs_aops ino:30b0f dentry name(?):"GoogleExtServicesCn.apk"
flags: 0x100000000000041(locked|head|node=0|zone=1)
raw: 0100000000000041 dead000000000100 dead000000000122 ffff888014b13bd0
raw: 0000000000000060 0000000000000020 00000000ffffffff 0000000000000000
head: 0100000000000041 dead000000000100 dead000000000122 ffff888014b13bd0
head: 0000000000000060 0000000000000020 00000000ffffffff 0000000000000000
head: 0100000000000000 0000000000000000 ffffffffffffffff 0000000000000000
head: 0000000000000010 0000000000000000 00000000ffffffff 0000000000000000
page dumped because: PAGE_FLAGS_CHECK_AT_FREE flag(s) set
Call Trace:
 dump_stack_lvl+0x53/0x70
 bad_page+0xd4/0x220
 __free_pages_ok+0x76d/0xf30
 __folio_put+0x230/0x320
 p9_release_pages+0x179/0x1f0
 p9_virtio_zc_request+0xa2a/0x1230
 p9_client_zc_rpc.constprop.0+0x247/0x700
 p9_client_read_once+0x34d/0x810
 p9_client_read+0xf3/0x150
 v9fs_issue_read+0x111/0x360
 netfs_unbuffered_read_iter_locked+0x927/0x1390
 netfs_unbuffered_read_iter+0xa2/0xe0
 vfs_iocb_iter_read+0x2c7/0x460
 erofs_fileio_rq_submit+0x46b/0x5b0
 z_erofs_runqueue+0x1203/0x21e0
 z_erofs_readahead+0x579/0x8b0
 read_pages+0x19f/0xa70
 page_cache_ra_order+0x4ad/0xb80
 filemap_readahead.isra.0+0xe7/0x150
 filemap_get_pages+0x7aa/0x1890
 filemap_read+0x320/0xc80
 vfs_read+0x6c6/0xa30
 ksys_read+0xf9/0x1c0
 do_syscall_64+0x9e/0x1a0
 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x71/0x79

Weakness: CWE-415 (Double Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-37779?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-37779?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-37779 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-37779 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-37779 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-37779 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 1 May 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-37779 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-37779/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-37779/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-37779
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-37779
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-37779

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-37779/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.