CVE-2025-40091 ixgbe: fix too early devlink_free() in ixgbe_remove()
A use-after-free vulnerability in the ixgbe network driver allows local attackers with root privileges to cause a system crash or potentially escalate privileges.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- An administrator
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2025-40091?
CVE-2025-40091 is an use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 30 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:
ixgbe: fix too early devlink_free() in ixgbe_remove()
Since ixgbe_adapter is embedded in devlink, calling devlink_free() prematurely in the ixgbe_remove() path can lead to UAF. Move devlink_free() to the end.
KASAN report:
BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in ixgbe_reset_interrupt_capability+0x140/0x180 [ixgbe] Read of size 8 at addr ffff0000adf813e0 by task bash/2095 CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 2095 Comm: bash Tainted: G S 6.17.0-rc2-tnguy.net-queue+ #1 PREEMPT(full) [...] Call trace: show_stack+0x30/0x90 (C) dump_stack_lvl+0x9c/0xd0 print_address_description.constprop.0+0x90/0x310 print_report+0x104/0x1f0 kasan_report+0x88/0x180 __asan_report_load8_noabort+0x20/0x30 ixgbe_reset_interrupt_capability+0x140/0x180 [ixgbe] ixgbe_clear_interrupt_scheme+0xf8/0x130 [ixgbe] ixgbe_remove+0x2d0/0x8c0 [ixgbe] pci_device_remove+0xa0/0x220 device_remove+0xb8/0x170 device_release_driver_internal+0x318/0x490 device_driver_detach+0x40/0x68 unbind_store+0xec/0x118 drv_attr_store+0x64/0xb8 sysfs_kf_write+0xcc/0x138 kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x294/0x440 new_sync_write+0x1fc/0x588 vfs_write+0x480/0x6a0 ksys_write+0xf0/0x1e0 __arm64_sys_write+0x70/0xc0 invoke_syscall.constprop.0+0xcc/0x280 el0_svc_common.constprop.0+0xa8/0x248 do_el0_svc+0x44/0x68 el0_svc+0x54/0x160 el0t_64_sync_handler+0xa0/0xe8 el0t_64_sync+0x1b0/0x1b8
Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-40091?
How do I fix CVE-2025-40091?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade to the fixed version. These bugs are found with fuzzing and sanitisers and avoided by memory-safe languages. More about Use after free.
Is CVE-2025-40091 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-40091 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2025-40091, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-40091, GHSA-gq9j-j338-8fvx, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-40091.