# CVE-2025-38019: mlxsw: spectrum_router: Fix use-after-free when deleting GRE net devices > A use-after-free in the Linux kernel mlxsw driver allows attackers to cause denial of service or execute code via crafted network device deletion. - **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:** 18 Jun 2025 - **Updated:** 11 May 2026 - **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2025-38019, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-38019, GHSA-cpc7-gmm2-93c8, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-38019, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-38019 ## What is CVE-2025-38019? CVE-2025-38019 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 18 Jun 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: mlxsw: spectrum_router: Fix use-after-free when deleting GRE net devices The driver only offloads neighbors that are constructed on top of net devices registered by it or their uppers (which are all Ethernet). The device supports GRE encapsulation and decapsulation of forwarded traffic, but the driver will not offload dummy neighbors constructed on top of GRE net devices as they are not uppers of its net devices: # ip link add name gre1 up type gre tos inherit local 192.0.2.1 remote 198.51.100.1 # ip neigh add 0.0.0.0 lladdr 0.0.0.0 nud noarp dev gre1 $ ip neigh show dev gre1 nud noarp 0.0.0.0 lladdr 0.0.0.0 NOARP (Note that the neighbor is not marked with 'offload') When the driver is reloaded and the existing configuration is replayed, the driver does not perform the same check regarding existing neighbors and offloads the previously added one: # devlink dev reload pci/0000:01:00.0 $ ip neigh show dev gre1 nud noarp 0.0.0.0 lladdr 0.0.0.0 offload NOARP If the neighbor is later deleted, the driver will ignore the notification (given the GRE net device is not its upper) and will therefore keep referencing freed memory, resulting in a use-after-free [1] when the net device is deleted: # ip neigh del 0.0.0.0 lladdr 0.0.0.0 dev gre1 # ip link del dev gre1 Fix by skipping neighbor replay if the net device for which the replay is performed is not our upper. [1] BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in mlxsw_sp_neigh_entry_update+0x1ea/0x200 Read of size 8 at addr ffff888155b0e420 by task ip/2282 [...] Call Trace: dump_stack_lvl+0x6f/0xa0 print_address_description.constprop.0+0x6f/0x350 print_report+0x108/0x205 kasan_report+0xdf/0x110 mlxsw_sp_neigh_entry_update+0x1ea/0x200 mlxsw_sp_router_rif_gone_sync+0x2a8/0x440 mlxsw_sp_rif_destroy+0x1e9/0x750 mlxsw_sp_netdevice_ipip_ol_event+0x3c9/0xdc0 mlxsw_sp_router_netdevice_event+0x3ac/0x15e0 notifier_call_chain+0xca/0x150 call_netdevice_notifiers_info+0x7f/0x100 unregister_netdevice_many_notify+0xc8c/0x1d90 rtnl_dellink+0x34e/0xa50 rtnetlink_rcv_msg+0x6fb/0xb70 netlink_rcv_skb+0x131/0x360 netlink_unicast+0x426/0x710 netlink_sendmsg+0x75a/0xc20 __sock_sendmsg+0xc1/0x150 ____sys_sendmsg+0x5aa/0x7b0 ___sys_sendmsg+0xfc/0x180 __sys_sendmsg+0x121/0x1b0 do_syscall_64+0xbb/0x1d0 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x4b/0x53 Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free) ## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38019? It affects 1 product. Products: Linux kernel. ## How do I fix CVE-2025-38019? Apply the vendor's patch. ## Is CVE-2025-38019 being exploited? There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38019 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-2025-38019 and fix it if it is affected. What it is: CVE-2025-38019 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 18 Jun 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-2025-38019 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-2025-38019/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38019/index.md) ``` ## Sources - CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-38019 - NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-38019 - OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-38019 --- From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38019/ Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.