# 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.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 30 Oct 2025
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2025-40091, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-40091, GHSA-gq9j-j338-8fvx, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-40091

## 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.

## Is CVE-2025-40091 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-40091 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-40091 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: 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.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-40091 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-2025-40091/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-40091/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-40091
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-40091
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-40091

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-40091/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.