# CVE-2025-68172: crypto: aspeed - fix double free caused by devm

> A double free vulnerability in the Linux kernel Aspeed crypto driver allows local attackers to cause a denial of service via improper clock resource management.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 16 Dec 2025
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2025-68172, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-68172, GHSA-jxm3-5hr5-7rwr, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-13-CVE-2025-68172, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-68172, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-68172

## What is CVE-2025-68172?

CVE-2025-68172 is an use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 16 Dec 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:

crypto: aspeed - fix double free caused by devm

The clock obtained via devm_clk_get_enabled() is automatically managed
by devres and will be disabled and freed on driver detach. Manually
calling clk_disable_unprepare() in error path and remove function
causes double free.

Remove the manual clock cleanup in both aspeed_acry_probe()'s error
path and aspeed_acry_remove().

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-68172?


## How do I fix CVE-2025-68172?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-68172 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-68172 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-68172 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-68172 is an use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 16 Dec 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-2025-68172 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-2025-68172/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-68172/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-68172
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-68172
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-68172

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-68172/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.