# CVE-2025-38405: nvmet: fix memory leak of bio integrity

> A memory leak in the Linux kernel NVMe target driver allows attackers to cause denial of service by exhausting kernel memory through metadata commands.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 25 Jul 2025
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2025-38405, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-38405, GHSA-5g8h-g27f-mh64, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-38405, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-38405

## What is CVE-2025-38405?

CVE-2025-38405 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Jul 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

nvmet: fix memory leak of bio integrity

If nvmet receives commands with metadata there is a continuous memory
leak of kmalloc-128 slab or more precisely bio->bi_integrity.

Since commit bf4c89fc8797 ("block: don't call bio_uninit from bio_endio")
each user of bio_init has to use bio_uninit as well. Otherwise the bio
integrity is not getting free. Nvmet uses bio_init for inline bios.

Uninit the inline bio to complete deallocation of integrity in bio.

Weakness: CWE-401 (Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38405?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-38405?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-38405 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38405 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-2025-38405 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-38405 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Jul 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38405 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-2025-38405/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38405/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-38405
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-38405
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-38405

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38405/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.