CVE-2025-38141 dm: fix dm_blk_report_zones
A race condition in the Linux kernel's device mapper allows a use-after-free when reporting zones, potentially leading to code execution or system crashes.
- 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-2025-38141?
CVE-2025-38141 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:
dm: fix dm_blk_report_zones
If dm_get_live_table() returned NULL, dm_put_live_table() was never called. Also, it is possible that md->zone_revalidate_map will change while calling this function. Only read it once, so that we are always using the same value. Otherwise we might miss a call to dm_put_live_table().
Finally, while md->zone_revalidate_map is set and a process is calling blk_revalidate_disk_zones() to set up the zone append emulation resources, it is possible that another process, perhaps triggered by blkdev_report_zones_ioctl(), will call dm_blk_report_zones(). If blk_revalidate_disk_zones() fails, these resources can be freed while the other process is still using them, causing a use-after-free error.
blk_revalidate_disk_zones() will only ever be called when initially setting up the zone append emulation resources, such as when setting up a zoned dm-crypt table for the first time. Further table swaps will not set md->zone_revalidate_map or call blk_revalidate_disk_zones(). However it must be called using the new table (referenced by md->zone_revalidate_map) and the new queue limits while the DM device is suspended. dm_blk_report_zones() needs some way to distinguish between a call from blk_revalidate_disk_zones(), which must be allowed to use md->zone_revalidate_map to access this not yet activated table, and all other calls to dm_blk_report_zones(), which should not be allowed while the device is suspended and cannot use md->zone_revalidate_map, since the zone resources might be freed by the process currently calling blk_revalidate_disk_zones().
Solve this by tracking the process that sets md->zone_revalidate_map in dm_revalidate_zones() and only allowing that process to make use of it in dm_blk_report_zones().
Weakness: CWE-416
Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38141?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2025-38141?
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-2025-38141 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38141 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2025-38141, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-38141, GHSA-r6wx-gh72-c6q5, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-38141.