# CVE-2025-68288: usb: storage: Fix memory leak in USB bulk transport

> A memory leak in the Linux kernel USB storage driver allows local attackers to read sensitive USB protocol data from user space via SCSI generic interfaces.

- **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:** 23 May 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-72631, BELL-CVE-2025-68288, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-68288, GHSA-87cr-f8hp-2h8x, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2025-68288, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-13-CVE-2025-68288, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2025-68288, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-68288, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-68288

## What is CVE-2025-68288?

CVE-2025-68288 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:

usb: storage: Fix memory leak in USB bulk transport

A kernel memory leak was identified by the 'ioctl_sg01' test from Linux
Test Project (LTP). The following bytes were mainly observed: 0x53425355.

When USB storage devices incorrectly skip the data phase with status data,
the code extracts/validates the CSW from the sg buffer, but fails to clear
it afterwards. This leaves status protocol data in srb's transfer buffer,
such as the US_BULK_CS_SIGN 'USBS' signature observed here. Thus, this can
lead to USB protocols leaks to user space through SCSI generic (/dev/sg*)
interfaces, such as the one seen here when the LTP test requested 512 KiB.

Fix the leak by zeroing the CSW data in srb's transfer buffer immediately
after the validation of devices that skip data phase.

Note: Differently from CVE-2018-1000204, which fixed a big leak by zero-
ing pages at allocation time, this leak occurs after allocation, when USB
protocol data is written to already-allocated sg pages.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-68288?


## How do I fix CVE-2025-68288?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-68288 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-68288 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-68288 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-68288 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-2025-68288 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-2025-68288/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-68288/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-68288
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-68288
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-68288

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-68288/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.