# CVE-2025-38175: binder: fix yet another UAF in binder_devices

> A use-after-free in the Linux kernel binder subsystem allows local attackers to potentially execute code or escalate privileges.

- **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:** 4 Jul 2025
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2025-38175, GHSA-w5g9-6v5h-28cv, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-38175

## What is CVE-2025-38175?

CVE-2025-38175 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 4 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:

binder: fix yet another UAF in binder_devices

Commit e77aff5528a18 ("binderfs: fix use-after-free in binder_devices")
addressed a use-after-free where devices could be released without first
being removed from the binder_devices list. However, there is a similar
path in binder_free_proc() that was missed:

  ==================================================================
  BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in binder_remove_device+0xd4/0x100
  Write of size 8 at addr ffff0000c773b900 by task umount/467
  CPU: 12 UID: 0 PID: 467 Comm: umount Not tainted 6.15.0-rc7-00138-g57483a362741 #9 PREEMPT
  Hardware name: linux,dummy-virt (DT)
  Call trace:
   binder_remove_device+0xd4/0x100
   binderfs_evict_inode+0x230/0x2f0
   evict+0x25c/0x5dc
   iput+0x304/0x480
   dentry_unlink_inode+0x208/0x46c
   __dentry_kill+0x154/0x530
   [...]

  Allocated by task 463:
   __kmalloc_cache_noprof+0x13c/0x324
   binderfs_binder_device_create.isra.0+0x138/0xa60
   binder_ctl_ioctl+0x1ac/0x230
  [...]

  Freed by task 215:
   kfree+0x184/0x31c
   binder_proc_dec_tmpref+0x33c/0x4ac
   binder_deferred_func+0xc10/0x1108
   process_one_work+0x520/0xba4
  [...]
  ==================================================================

Call binder_remove_device() within binder_free_proc() to ensure the
device is removed from the binder_devices list before being kfreed.

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38175?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-38175?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-38175 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38175 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-2025-38175 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-38175 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 4 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-2025-38175 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-2025-38175/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38175/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-38175
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-38175
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-38175

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38175/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.