# CVE-2025-38490: net: libwx: remove duplicate page_pool_put_full_page()

> A double free in the libwx network driver causes a kernel panic, leading to denial of service.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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:** 28 Jul 2025
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2025-38490, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-38490, GHSA-88q8-28j6-6qvj, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-38490, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-38490

## What is CVE-2025-38490?

CVE-2025-38490 is a critical use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 28 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:

net: libwx: remove duplicate page_pool_put_full_page()

page_pool_put_full_page() should only be invoked when freeing Rx buffers
or building a skb if the size is too short. At other times, the pages
need to be reused. So remove the redundant page put. In the original
code, double free pages cause kernel panic:

[  876.949834]  __irq_exit_rcu+0xc7/0x130
[  876.949836]  common_interrupt+0xb8/0xd0
[  876.949838]  </IRQ>
[  876.949838]  <TASK>
[  876.949840]  asm_common_interrupt+0x22/0x40
[  876.949841] RIP: 0010:cpuidle_enter_state+0xc2/0x420
[  876.949843] Code: 00 00 e8 d1 1d 5e ff e8 ac f0 ff ff 49 89 c5 0f 1f 44 00 00 31 ff e8 cd fc 5c ff 45 84 ff 0f 85 40 02 00 00 fb 0f 1f 44 00 00 <45> 85 f6 0f 88 84 01 00 00 49 63 d6 48 8d 04 52 48 8d 04 82 49 8d
[  876.949844] RSP: 0018:ffffaa7340267e78 EFLAGS: 00000246
[  876.949845] RAX: ffff9e3f135be000 RBX: 0000000000000002 RCX: 0000000000000000
[  876.949846] RDX: 000000cc2dc4cb7c RSI: ffffffff89ee49ae RDI: ffffffff89ef9f9e
[  876.949847] RBP: ffff9e378f940800 R08: 0000000000000002 R09: 00000000000000ed
[  876.949848] R10: 000000000000afc8 R11: ffff9e3e9e5a9b6c R12: ffffffff8a6d8580
[  876.949849] R13: 000000cc2dc4cb7c R14: 0000000000000002 R15: 0000000000000000
[  876.949852]  ? cpuidle_enter_state+0xb3/0x420
[  876.949855]  cpuidle_enter+0x29/0x40
[  876.949857]  cpuidle_idle_call+0xfd/0x170
[  876.949859]  do_idle+0x7a/0xc0
[  876.949861]  cpu_startup_entry+0x25/0x30
[  876.949862]  start_secondary+0x117/0x140
[  876.949864]  common_startup_64+0x13e/0x148
[  876.949867]  </TASK>
[  876.949868] ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]---
[  876.949869] ------------[ cut here ]------------
[  876.949870] list_del corruption, ffffead40445a348->next is NULL
[  876.949873] WARNING: CPU: 14 PID: 0 at lib/list_debug.c:52 __list_del_entry_valid_or_report+0x67/0x120
[  876.949875] Modules linked in: snd_hrtimer(E) bnep(E) binfmt_misc(E) amdgpu(E) squashfs(E) vfat(E) loop(E) fat(E) amd_atl(E) snd_hda_codec_realtek(E) intel_rapl_msr(E) snd_hda_codec_generic(E) intel_rapl_common(E) snd_hda_scodec_component(E) snd_hda_codec_hdmi(E) snd_hda_intel(E) edac_mce_amd(E) snd_intel_dspcfg(E) snd_hda_codec(E) snd_hda_core(E) amdxcp(E) kvm_amd(E) snd_hwdep(E) gpu_sched(E) drm_panel_backlight_quirks(E) cec(E) snd_pcm(E) drm_buddy(E) snd_seq_dummy(E) drm_ttm_helper(E) btusb(E) kvm(E) snd_seq_oss(E) btrtl(E) ttm(E) btintel(E) snd_seq_midi(E) btbcm(E) drm_exec(E) snd_seq_midi_event(E) i2c_algo_bit(E) snd_rawmidi(E) bluetooth(E) drm_suballoc_helper(E) irqbypass(E) snd_seq(E) ghash_clmulni_intel(E) sha512_ssse3(E) drm_display_helper(E) aesni_intel(E) snd_seq_device(E) rfkill(E) snd_timer(E) gf128mul(E) drm_client_lib(E) drm_kms_helper(E) snd(E) i2c_piix4(E) joydev(E) soundcore(E) wmi_bmof(E) ccp(E) k10temp(E) i2c_smbus(E) gpio_amdpt(E) i2c_designware_platform(E) gpio_generic(E) sg(E)
[  876.949914]  i2c_designware_core(E) sch_fq_codel(E) parport_pc(E) drm(E) ppdev(E) lp(E) parport(E) fuse(E) nfnetlink(E) ip_tables(E) ext4 crc16 mbcache jbd2 sd_mod sfp mdio_i2c i2c_core txgbe ahci ngbe pcs_xpcs libahci libwx r8169 phylink libata realtek ptp pps_core video wmi
[  876.949933] CPU: 14 UID: 0 PID: 0 Comm: swapper/14 Kdump: loaded Tainted: G        W   E       6.16.0-rc2+ #20 PREEMPT(voluntary)
[  876.949935] Tainted: [W]=WARN, [E]=UNSIGNED_MODULE
[  876.949936] Hardware name: Micro-Star International Co., Ltd. MS-7E16/X670E GAMING PLUS WIFI (MS-7E16), BIOS 1.90 12/31/2024
[  876.949936] RIP: 0010:__list_del_entry_valid_or_report+0x67/0x120
[  876.949938] Code: 00 00 00 48 39 7d 08 0f 85 a6 00 00 00 5b b8 01 00 00 00 5d 41 5c e9 73 0d 93 ff 48 89 fe 48 c7 c7 a0 31 e8 89 e8 59 7c b3 ff <0f> 0b 31 c0 5b 5d 41 5c e9 57 0d 93 ff 48 89 fe 48 c7 c7 c8 31 e8
[  876.949940] RSP: 0018:ffffaa73405d0c60 EFLAGS: 00010282
[  876.949941] RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: ffffead40445a348 RCX: 0000000000000000
[  876.949942] RDX: 0000000000000105 RSI: 00000
---truncated---

Weakness: CWE-415 (Double Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38490?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-38490?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-38490 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38490 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-2025-38490 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-38490 is a critical use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 28 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-2025-38490 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-2025-38490/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38490/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-38490
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-38490
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-38490

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38490/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.
