# CVE-2025-38109: net/mlx5: Fix ECVF vports unload on shutdown flow

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel mlx5 driver causes a crash during shutdown when ECVF vports are used on BlueField devices.

- **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:** 3 Jul 2025
- **Updated:** 11 Jun 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-64517, BELL-CVE-2025-38109, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-38109, GHSA-hv7w-4qc7-rw79, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2025-38109, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-38109, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-38109

## What is CVE-2025-38109?

CVE-2025-38109 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 3 Jul 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:

net/mlx5: Fix ECVF vports unload on shutdown flow

Fix shutdown flow UAF when a virtual function is created on the embedded
chip (ECVF) of a BlueField device. In such case the vport acl ingress
table is not properly destroyed.

ECVF functionality is independent of ecpf_vport_exists capability and
thus functions mlx5_eswitch_(enable|disable)_pf_vf_vports() should not
test it when enabling/disabling ECVF vports.

kernel log:
[] refcount_t: underflow; use-after-free.
[] WARNING: CPU: 3 PID: 1 at lib/refcount.c:28
   refcount_warn_saturate+0x124/0x220
----------------
[] Call trace:
[] refcount_warn_saturate+0x124/0x220
[] tree_put_node+0x164/0x1e0 [mlx5_core]
[] mlx5_destroy_flow_table+0x98/0x2c0 [mlx5_core]
[] esw_acl_ingress_table_destroy+0x28/0x40 [mlx5_core]
[] esw_acl_ingress_lgcy_cleanup+0x80/0xf4 [mlx5_core]
[] esw_legacy_vport_acl_cleanup+0x44/0x60 [mlx5_core]
[] esw_vport_cleanup+0x64/0x90 [mlx5_core]
[] mlx5_esw_vport_disable+0xc0/0x1d0 [mlx5_core]
[] mlx5_eswitch_unload_ec_vf_vports+0xcc/0x150 [mlx5_core]
[] mlx5_eswitch_disable_sriov+0x198/0x2a0 [mlx5_core]
[] mlx5_device_disable_sriov+0xb8/0x1e0 [mlx5_core]
[] mlx5_sriov_detach+0x40/0x50 [mlx5_core]
[] mlx5_unload+0x40/0xc4 [mlx5_core]
[] mlx5_unload_one_devl_locked+0x6c/0xe4 [mlx5_core]
[] mlx5_unload_one+0x3c/0x60 [mlx5_core]
[] shutdown+0x7c/0xa4 [mlx5_core]
[] pci_device_shutdown+0x3c/0xa0
[] device_shutdown+0x170/0x340
[] __do_sys_reboot+0x1f4/0x2a0
[] __arm64_sys_reboot+0x2c/0x40
[] invoke_syscall+0x78/0x100
[] el0_svc_common.constprop.0+0x54/0x184
[] do_el0_svc+0x30/0xac
[] el0_svc+0x48/0x160
[] el0t_64_sync_handler+0xa4/0x12c
[] el0t_64_sync+0x1a4/0x1a8
[] --[ end trace 9c4601d68c70030e ]---

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38109?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-38109?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-38109 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38109 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-2025-38109 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-38109 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 3 Jul 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-2025-38109 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-2025-38109/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38109/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-38109
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-38109
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-38109

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38109/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.