# CVE-2025-38396: fs: export anon_inode_make_secure_inode() and fix secretmem LSM bypass

> A Linux kernel flaw allowed secretmem file descriptors to bypass LSM/SELinux security checks due to an uncleared flag, enabling unauthorized access.

- **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:** 25 Jul 2025
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-65726, BELL-CVE-2025-38396, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-38396, GHSA-8m46-hm8p-v8rj, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2025-38396, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-38396, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-38396

## What is CVE-2025-38396?

CVE-2025-38396 is a high-severity vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 25 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:

fs: export anon_inode_make_secure_inode() and fix secretmem LSM bypass

Export anon_inode_make_secure_inode() to allow KVM guest_memfd to create
anonymous inodes with proper security context. This replaces the current
pattern of calling alloc_anon_inode() followed by
inode_init_security_anon() for creating security context manually.

This change also fixes a security regression in secretmem where the
S_PRIVATE flag was not cleared after alloc_anon_inode(), causing
LSM/SELinux checks to be bypassed for secretmem file descriptors.

As guest_memfd currently resides in the KVM module, we need to export this
symbol for use outside the core kernel. In the future, guest_memfd might be
moved to core-mm, at which point the symbols no longer would have to be
exported. When/if that happens is still unclear.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38396?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Debian Debian Linux, Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-38396?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-38396 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38396 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-2025-38396 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-38396 is a high-severity vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 25 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-2025-38396 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-2025-38396/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38396/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-38396
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-38396
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-38396

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38396/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.