CVE-2025-38056 ASoC: SOF: Intel: hda: Fix UAF when reloading module
A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's Intel HDA audio driver allows attackers to trigger memory corruption and potentially execute code or escalate privileges.
- 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
What is CVE-2025-38056?
CVE-2025-38056 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:
ASoC: SOF: Intel: hda: Fix UAF when reloading module
hda_generic_machine_select() appends -idisp to the tplg filename by allocating a new string with devm_kasprintf(), then stores the string right back into the global variable snd_soc_acpi_intel_hda_machines. When the module is unloaded, this memory is freed, resulting in a global variable pointing to freed memory. Reloading the module then triggers a use-after-free:
BUG: KFENCE: use-after-free read in string+0x48/0xe0
Use-after-free read at 0x00000000967e0109 (in kfence-#99): string+0x48/0xe0 vsnprintf+0x329/0x6e0 devm_kvasprintf+0x54/0xb0 devm_kasprintf+0x58/0x80 hda_machine_select.cold+0x198/0x17a2 [snd_sof_intel_hda_generic] sof_probe_work+0x7f/0x600 [snd_sof] process_one_work+0x17b/0x330 worker_thread+0x2ce/0x3f0 kthread+0xcf/0x100 ret_from_fork+0x31/0x50 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30
kfence-#99: 0x00000000198a940f-0x00000000ace47d9d, size=64, cache=kmalloc-64
allocated by task 333 on cpu 8 at 17.798069s (130.453553s ago): devm_kmalloc+0x52/0x120 devm_kvasprintf+0x66/0xb0 devm_kasprintf+0x58/0x80 hda_machine_select.cold+0x198/0x17a2 [snd_sof_intel_hda_generic] sof_probe_work+0x7f/0x600 [snd_sof] process_one_work+0x17b/0x330 worker_thread+0x2ce/0x3f0 kthread+0xcf/0x100 ret_from_fork+0x31/0x50 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30
freed by task 1543 on cpu 4 at 141.586686s (6.665010s ago): release_nodes+0x43/0xb0 devres_release_all+0x90/0xf0 device_unbind_cleanup+0xe/0x70 device_release_driver_internal+0x1c1/0x200 driver_detach+0x48/0x90 bus_remove_driver+0x6d/0xf0 pci_unregister_driver+0x42/0xb0 __do_sys_delete_module+0x1d1/0x310 do_syscall_64+0x82/0x190 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e
Fix it by copying the match array with devm_kmemdup_array() before we modify it.
Weakness: CWE-416
Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38056?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2025-38056?
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-2025-38056 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38056 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2025-38056, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-38056, GHSA-gj2x-phgq-7g9q, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-38056.