CVE-2025-38022 RDMA/core: Fix "KASAN: slab-use-after-free Read in ib_register_device" problem

What is CVE-2025-38022?

CVE-2025-38022 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:

RDMA/core: Fix "KASAN: slab-use-after-free Read in ib_register_device" problem

Call Trace:

__dump_stack lib/dump_stack.c:94 [inline] dump_stack_lvl+0x116/0x1f0 lib/dump_stack.c:120 print_address_description mm/kasan/report.c:408 [inline] print_report+0xc3/0x670 mm/kasan/report.c:521 kasan_report+0xe0/0x110 mm/kasan/report.c:634 strlen+0x93/0xa0 lib/string.c:420 __fortify_strlen include/linux/fortify-string.h:268 [inline] get_kobj_path_length lib/kobject.c:118 [inline] kobject_get_path+0x3f/0x2a0 lib/kobject.c:158 kobject_uevent_env+0x289/0x1870 lib/kobject_uevent.c:545 ib_register_device drivers/infiniband/core/device.c:1472 [inline] ib_register_device+0x8cf/0xe00 drivers/infiniband/core/device.c:1393 rxe_register_device+0x275/0x320 drivers/infiniband/sw/rxe/rxe_verbs.c:1552 rxe_net_add+0x8e/0xe0 drivers/infiniband/sw/rxe/rxe_net.c:550 rxe_newlink+0x70/0x190 drivers/infiniband/sw/rxe/rxe.c:225 nldev_newlink+0x3a3/0x680 drivers/infiniband/core/nldev.c:1796 rdma_nl_rcv_msg+0x387/0x6e0 drivers/infiniband/core/netlink.c:195 rdma_nl_rcv_skb.constprop.0.isra.0+0x2e5/0x450 netlink_unicast_kernel net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1313 [inline] netlink_unicast+0x53a/0x7f0 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1339 netlink_sendmsg+0x8d1/0xdd0 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1883 sock_sendmsg_nosec net/socket.c:712 [inline] __sock_sendmsg net/socket.c:727 [inline] ____sys_sendmsg+0xa95/0xc70 net/socket.c:2566 ___sys_sendmsg+0x134/0x1d0 net/socket.c:2620 __sys_sendmsg+0x16d/0x220 net/socket.c:2652 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:63 [inline] do_syscall_64+0xcd/0x260 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:94 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f

This problem is similar to the problem that the commit 1d6a9e7449e2 ("RDMA/core: Fix use-after-free when rename device name") fixes.

The root cause is: the function ib_device_rename() renames the name with lock. But in the function kobject_uevent(), this name is accessed without lock protection at the same time.

The solution is to add the lock protection when this name is accessed in the function kobject_uevent().

Weakness: CWE-416

Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38022?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Linux kernel.

How do I fix CVE-2025-38022?

Apply the vendor's patch.

Upgrade to the fixed version. These bugs are found with fuzzing and sanitisers and avoided by memory-safe languages. More about Use after free.

Is CVE-2025-38022 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38022 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

• CVE-2026-53266 Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write Exploited High 8.8
• CVE-2013-6282 Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation Exploited High 8.8
• CVE-2022-0185 Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow Exploited High 8.4
• CVE-2013-2094 Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation Exploited High 8.4
• CVE-2026-53362 Linux Kernel Unspecified Exploited High 7.8

All Linux kernel vulnerabilities

Sources

• CVE record
• NVD
• OSV
• GitHub advisory
• How this page is made

Also known as AZL-63947, AZL-70271, BELL-CVE-2025-38022, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-38022, GHSA-m3m6-56v9-2jm6, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2025-38022 and 4 more.