# CVE-2025-68249: most: usb: hdm_probe: Fix calling put_device() before device initialization

> A local attacker with physical access can cause a kernel crash by triggering an error path in the MOST USB driver that calls put_device on an uninitialized object.

- **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-2025-68249, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-68249, GHSA-wpmx-q548-j5gm, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-68249, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-68249

## What is CVE-2025-68249?

CVE-2025-68249 is a 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:

most: usb: hdm_probe: Fix calling put_device() before device initialization

The early error path in hdm_probe() can jump to err_free_mdev before
&mdev->dev has been initialized with device_initialize(). Calling
put_device(&mdev->dev) there triggers a device core WARN and ends up
invoking kref_put(&kobj->kref, kobject_release) on an uninitialized
kobject.

In this path the private struct was only kmalloc'ed and the intended
release is effectively kfree(mdev) anyway, so free it directly instead
of calling put_device() on an uninitialized device.

This removes the WARNING and fixes the pre-initialization error path.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-68249?


## How do I fix CVE-2025-68249?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-68249 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-68249 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-68249 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-68249 is a 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-2025-68249 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-2025-68249/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-68249/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-68249
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-68249
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-68249

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-68249/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.