CVE-2025-38546 atm: clip: Fix memory leak of struct clip_vcc.
A memory leak in the Linux kernel ATM CLIP module allows attackers to exhaust system memory, causing denial of service.
- 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
What is CVE-2025-38546?
CVE-2025-38546 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 16 Aug 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:
atm: clip: Fix memory leak of struct clip_vcc.
ioctl(ATMARP_MKIP) allocates struct clip_vcc and set it to vcc->user_back.
The code assumes that vcc_destroy_socket() passes NULL skb to vcc->push() when the socket is close()d, and then clip_push() frees clip_vcc.
However, ioctl(ATMARPD_CTRL) sets NULL to vcc->push() in atm_init_atmarp(), resulting in memory leak.
Let's serialise two ioctl() by lock_sock() and check vcc->push() in atm_init_atmarp() to prevent memleak.
Weakness: CWE-401
Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38546?
It affects 2 products.
Products include Debian Debian Linux, Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2025-38546?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade, then put limits on request size, rate and nesting depth so one client cannot exhaust the service. More about Denial of service.
Is CVE-2025-38546 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38546 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Debian Debian Linux
Sources
Also known as AZL-66344, AZL-73578, BELL-CVE-2025-38546, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-38546, GHSA-f6c4-25w9-79f8, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2025-38546 and 3 more.