# CVE-2025-38035: nvmet-tcp: don't restore null sk_state_change > A NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel's nvmet-tcp module can cause a system crash when a TCP connection is not established. - **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`) - **Exploited in the wild:** Not known - **Login needed:** Not needed - **Attackable:** Over the internet - **Victim action needed:** Not needed - **Fix available:** Yes - **Published:** 18 Jun 2025 - **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026 - **Also known as:** AZL-63968, BELL-CVE-2025-38035, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-38035, GHSA-rcjw-fc9m-vqqh, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2025-38035, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2025-38035, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2025-38035, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-38035, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-38035 ## What is CVE-2025-38035? CVE-2025-38035 is a high-severity vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 18 Jun 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim. ### Official description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nvmet-tcp: don't restore null sk_state_change queue->state_change is set as part of nvmet_tcp_set_queue_sock(), but if the TCP connection isn't established when nvmet_tcp_set_queue_sock() is called then queue->state_change isn't set and sock->sk->sk_state_change isn't replaced. As such we don't need to restore sock->sk->sk_state_change if queue->state_change is NULL. This avoids NULL pointer dereferences such as this: [ 286.462026][ C0] BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000 [ 286.462814][ C0] #PF: supervisor instruction fetch in kernel mode [ 286.463796][ C0] #PF: error_code(0x0010) - not-present page [ 286.464392][ C0] PGD 8000000140620067 P4D 8000000140620067 PUD 114201067 PMD 0 [ 286.465086][ C0] Oops: Oops: 0010 [#1] SMP KASAN PTI [ 286.465559][ C0] CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 1628 Comm: nvme Not tainted 6.15.0-rc2+ #11 PREEMPT(voluntary) [ 286.466393][ C0] Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.16.3-3.fc41 04/01/2014 [ 286.467147][ C0] RIP: 0010:0x0 [ 286.467420][ C0] Code: Unable to access opcode bytes at 0xffffffffffffffd6. [ 286.467977][ C0] RSP: 0018:ffff8883ae008580 EFLAGS: 00010246 [ 286.468425][ C0] RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: ffff88813fd34100 RCX: ffffffffa386cc43 [ 286.469019][ C0] RDX: 1ffff11027fa68b6 RSI: 0000000000000008 RDI: ffff88813fd34100 [ 286.469545][ C0] RBP: ffff88813fd34160 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: ffffed1027fa682c [ 286.470072][ C0] R10: ffff88813fd34167 R11: 0000000000000000 R12: ffff88813fd344c3 [ 286.470585][ C0] R13: ffff88813fd34112 R14: ffff88813fd34aec R15: ffff888132cdd268 [ 286.471070][ C0] FS: 00007fe3c04c7d80(0000) GS:ffff88840743f000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 [ 286.471644][ C0] CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 [ 286.472543][ C0] CR2: ffffffffffffffd6 CR3: 000000012daca000 CR4: 00000000000006f0 [ 286.473500][ C0] DR0: 0000000000000000 DR1: 0000000000000000 DR2: 0000000000000000 [ 286.474467][ C0] DR3: 0000000000000000 DR6: 00000000ffff07f0 DR7: 0000000000000400 [ 286.475453][ C0] Call Trace: [ 286.476102][ C0] [ 286.476719][ C0] tcp_fin+0x2bb/0x440 [ 286.477429][ C0] tcp_data_queue+0x190f/0x4e60 [ 286.478174][ C0] ? __build_skb_around+0x234/0x330 [ 286.478940][ C0] ? rcu_is_watching+0x11/0xb0 [ 286.479659][ C0] ? __pfx_tcp_data_queue+0x10/0x10 [ 286.480431][ C0] ? tcp_try_undo_loss+0x640/0x6c0 [ 286.481196][ C0] ? seqcount_lockdep_reader_access.constprop.0+0x82/0x90 [ 286.482046][ C0] ? kvm_clock_get_cycles+0x14/0x30 [ 286.482769][ C0] ? ktime_get+0x66/0x150 [ 286.483433][ C0] ? rcu_is_watching+0x11/0xb0 [ 286.484146][ C0] tcp_rcv_established+0x6e4/0x2050 [ 286.484857][ C0] ? rcu_is_watching+0x11/0xb0 [ 286.485523][ C0] ? ipv4_dst_check+0x160/0x2b0 [ 286.486203][ C0] ? __pfx_tcp_rcv_established+0x10/0x10 [ 286.486917][ C0] ? lock_release+0x217/0x2c0 [ 286.487595][ C0] tcp_v4_do_rcv+0x4d6/0x9b0 [ 286.488279][ C0] tcp_v4_rcv+0x2af8/0x3e30 [ 286.488904][ C0] ? raw_local_deliver+0x51b/0xad0 [ 286.489551][ C0] ? rcu_is_watching+0x11/0xb0 [ 286.490198][ C0] ? __pfx_tcp_v4_rcv+0x10/0x10 [ 286.490813][ C0] ? __pfx_raw_local_deliver+0x10/0x10 [ 286.491487][ C0] ? __pfx_nf_confirm+0x10/0x10 [nf_conntrack] [ 286.492275][ C0] ? rcu_is_watching+0x11/0xb0 [ 286.492900][ C0] ip_protocol_deliver_rcu+0x8f/0x370 [ 286.493579][ C0] ip_local_deliver_finish+0x297/0x420 [ 286.494268][ C0] ip_local_deliver+0x168/0x430 [ 286.494867][ C0] ? __pfx_ip_local_deliver+0x10/0x10 [ 286.495498][ C0] ? __pfx_ip_local_deliver_finish+0x10/0x10 [ 286.496204][ C0] ? ip_rcv_finish_core+0x19a/0x1f20 [ 286.496806][ C0] ? lock_release+0x217/0x2c0 [ 286.497414][ C0] ip_rcv+0x455/0x6e0 [ 286.497945][ C0] ? __pfx_ip_rcv+0x10/0x10 [ ---truncated--- Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference) ## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38035? It affects 2 products. Products: Debian Debian Linux, Linux kernel. ## How do I fix CVE-2025-38035? Apply the vendor's patch. ## Is CVE-2025-38035 being exploited? There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38035 in the wild and no public exploit code. ## Other vulnerabilities in Debian Debian Linux - [CVE-2015-3306](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-3306/): ProFTPD Improper Access Control (critical 10.0, exploited in the wild) - [CVE-2025-49113](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-49113/): RoundCube Webmail Deserialization of Untrusted Data (critical 9.9, exploited in the wild) - [CVE-2026-24061](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-24061/): GNU InetUtils Argument Injection (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild) - [CVE-2025-39682](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-39682/): Linux Kernel Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild) - [CVE-2024-9680](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-9680/): Mozilla Firefox Use-After-Free (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild) ## Fix prompt for AI coding agents ```text Check this codebase for CVE-2025-38035 and fix it if it is affected. What it is: CVE-2025-38035 is a high-severity vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 18 Jun 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim. Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38035 in the wild and no public exploit code. Affected product: Debian Debian Linux. 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-2025-38035/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38035/index.md) ``` ## Sources - CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-38035 - NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-38035 - OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-38035 --- From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38035/ Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.