# CVE-2025-39979: net/mlx5: fs, fix UAF in flow counter release

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's mlx5 network driver allows attackers to cause a denial of service or potentially execute code via crafted flow counter operations.

- **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:** 15 Oct 2025
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2025-39979, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-39979, GHSA-52rq-cpwv-rvvm, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-39979

## What is CVE-2025-39979?

CVE-2025-39979 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 15 Oct 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:

net/mlx5: fs, fix UAF in flow counter release

Fix a kernel trace [1] caused by releasing an HWS action of a local flow
counter in mlx5_cmd_hws_delete_fte(), where the HWS action refcount and
mutex were not initialized and the counter struct could already be freed
when deleting the rule.

Fix it by adding the missing initializations and adding refcount for the
local flow counter struct.

[1] Kernel log:
 Call Trace:
  <TASK>
  dump_stack_lvl+0x34/0x48
  mlx5_fs_put_hws_action.part.0.cold+0x21/0x94 [mlx5_core]
  mlx5_fc_put_hws_action+0x96/0xad [mlx5_core]
  mlx5_fs_destroy_fs_actions+0x8b/0x152 [mlx5_core]
  mlx5_cmd_hws_delete_fte+0x5a/0xa0 [mlx5_core]
  del_hw_fte+0x1ce/0x260 [mlx5_core]
  mlx5_del_flow_rules+0x12d/0x240 [mlx5_core]
  ? ttwu_queue_wakelist+0xf4/0x110
  mlx5_ib_destroy_flow+0x103/0x1b0 [mlx5_ib]
  uverbs_free_flow+0x20/0x50 [ib_uverbs]
  destroy_hw_idr_uobject+0x1b/0x50 [ib_uverbs]
  uverbs_destroy_uobject+0x34/0x1a0 [ib_uverbs]
  uobj_destroy+0x3c/0x80 [ib_uverbs]
  ib_uverbs_run_method+0x23e/0x360 [ib_uverbs]
  ? uverbs_finalize_object+0x60/0x60 [ib_uverbs]
  ib_uverbs_cmd_verbs+0x14f/0x2c0 [ib_uverbs]
  ? do_tty_write+0x1a9/0x270
  ? file_tty_write.constprop.0+0x98/0xc0
  ? new_sync_write+0xfc/0x190
  ib_uverbs_ioctl+0xd7/0x160 [ib_uverbs]
  __x64_sys_ioctl+0x87/0xc0
  do_syscall_64+0x59/0x90

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-39979?


## How do I fix CVE-2025-39979?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-39979 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-39979 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-39979 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-39979 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 15 Oct 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-2025-39979 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: 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-2025-39979/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-39979/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-39979
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-39979
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-39979

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-39979/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.