# CVE-2025-38443: nbd: fix uaf in nbd_genl_connect() error path

> A use-after-free in the Linux kernel NBD driver allows local attackers to potentially execute code or escalate privileges via crafted netlink messages.

- **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:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-65795, AZL-72923, BELL-CVE-2025-38443, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-38443, GHSA-2rf4-w4q3-rjcw, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2025-38443, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2025-38443, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-38443, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-38443

## What is CVE-2025-38443?

CVE-2025-38443 is a high-severity use after free 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:

nbd: fix uaf in nbd_genl_connect() error path

There is a use-after-free issue in nbd:

block nbd6: Receive control failed (result -104)
block nbd6: shutting down sockets
==================================================================
BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in recv_work+0x694/0xa80 drivers/block/nbd.c:1022
Write of size 4 at addr ffff8880295de478 by task kworker/u33:0/67

CPU: 2 UID: 0 PID: 67 Comm: kworker/u33:0 Not tainted 6.15.0-rc5-syzkaller-00123-g2c89c1b655c0 #0 PREEMPT(full)
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS 1.16.3-debian-1.16.3-2~bpo12+1 04/01/2014
Workqueue: nbd6-recv recv_work
Call Trace:
 <TASK>
 __dump_stack lib/dump_stack.c:94 [inline]
 dump_stack_lvl+0x116/0x1f0 lib/dump_stack.c:120
 print_address_description mm/kasan/report.c:408 [inline]
 print_report+0xc3/0x670 mm/kasan/report.c:521
 kasan_report+0xe0/0x110 mm/kasan/report.c:634
 check_region_inline mm/kasan/generic.c:183 [inline]
 kasan_check_range+0xef/0x1a0 mm/kasan/generic.c:189
 instrument_atomic_read_write include/linux/instrumented.h:96 [inline]
 atomic_dec include/linux/atomic/atomic-instrumented.h:592 [inline]
 recv_work+0x694/0xa80 drivers/block/nbd.c:1022
 process_one_work+0x9cc/0x1b70 kernel/workqueue.c:3238
 process_scheduled_works kernel/workqueue.c:3319 [inline]
 worker_thread+0x6c8/0xf10 kernel/workqueue.c:3400
 kthread+0x3c2/0x780 kernel/kthread.c:464
 ret_from_fork+0x45/0x80 arch/x86/kernel/process.c:153
 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:245
 </TASK>

nbd_genl_connect() does not properly stop the device on certain
error paths after nbd_start_device() has been called. This causes
the error path to put nbd->config while recv_work continue to use
the config after putting it, leading to use-after-free in recv_work.

This patch moves nbd_start_device() after the backend file creation.

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38443?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Debian Debian Linux, Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-38443?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-38443 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38443 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-2025-38443 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-38443 is a high-severity use after free 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-2025-38443 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-2025-38443/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38443/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-38443
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-38443
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-38443

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38443/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.