# CVE-2025-38627: f2fs: compress: fix UAF of f2fs_inode_info in f2fs_free_dic

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's f2fs filesystem allows attackers to cause system crashes or potentially execute code via race conditions during file deletion.

- **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:** 22 Aug 2025
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-66602, BELL-CVE-2025-38627, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-38627, GHSA-433r-68jw-r53j, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2025-38627, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-13-CVE-2025-38627, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-38627, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-38627

## What is CVE-2025-38627?

CVE-2025-38627 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 22 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:

f2fs: compress: fix UAF of f2fs_inode_info in f2fs_free_dic

The decompress_io_ctx may be released asynchronously after
I/O completion. If this file is deleted immediately after read,
and the kworker of processing post_read_wq has not been executed yet
due to high workloads, It is possible that the inode(f2fs_inode_info)
is evicted and freed before it is used f2fs_free_dic.

    The UAF case as below:
    Thread A                                      Thread B
    - f2fs_decompress_end_io
     - f2fs_put_dic
      - queue_work
        add free_dic work to post_read_wq
                                                   - do_unlink
                                                    - iput
                                                     - evict
                                                      - call_rcu
    This file is deleted after read.

    Thread C                                 kworker to process post_read_wq
    - rcu_do_batch
     - f2fs_free_inode
      - kmem_cache_free
     inode is freed by rcu
                                             - process_scheduled_works
                                              - f2fs_late_free_dic
                                               - f2fs_free_dic
                                                - f2fs_release_decomp_mem
                                      read (dic->inode)->i_compress_algorithm

This patch store compress_algorithm and sbi in dic to avoid inode UAF.

In addition, the previous solution is deprecated in [1] may cause system hang.
[1] https://lore.kernel.org/all/c36ab955-c8db-4a8b-a9d0-f07b5f426c3f@kernel.org

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38627?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-38627?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-38627 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38627 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-2025-38627 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-38627 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 22 Aug 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-2025-38627 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-2025-38627/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38627/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-38627
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-38627
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-38627

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38627/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.