CVE-2025-38666

Published Aug 22, 2025

Last updated 10 months ago

Overview

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: appletalk: Fix use-after-free in AARP proxy probe The AARP proxy‐probe routine (aarp_proxy_probe_network) sends a probe, releases the aarp_lock, sleeps, then re-acquires the lock. During that window an expire timer thread (__aarp_expire_timer) can remove and kfree() the same entry, leading to a use-after-free. race condition: cpu 0 | cpu 1 atalk_sendmsg() | atif_proxy_probe_device() aarp_send_ddp() | aarp_proxy_probe_network() mod_timer() | lock(aarp_lock) // LOCK!! timeout around 200ms | alloc(aarp_entry) and then call | proxies[hash] = aarp_entry aarp_expire_timeout() | aarp_send_probe() | unlock(aarp_lock) // UNLOCK!! lock(aarp_lock) // LOCK!! | msleep(100); __aarp_expire_timer(&proxies[ct]) | free(aarp_entry) | unlock(aarp_lock) // UNLOCK!! | | lock(aarp_lock) // LOCK!! | UAF aarp_entry !! ================================================================== BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in aarp_proxy_probe_network+0x560/0x630 net/appletalk/aarp.c:493 Read of size 4 at addr ffff8880123aa360 by task repro/13278 CPU: 3 UID: 0 PID: 13278 Comm: repro Not tainted 6.15.2 #3 PREEMPT(full) Call Trace: <TASK> __dump_stack lib/dump_stack.c:94 [inline] dump_stack_lvl+0x116/0x1b0 lib/dump_stack.c:120 print_address_description mm/kasan/report.c:408 [inline] print_report+0xc1/0x630 mm/kasan/report.c:521 kasan_report+0xca/0x100 mm/kasan/report.c:634 aarp_proxy_probe_network+0x560/0x630 net/appletalk/aarp.c:493 atif_proxy_probe_device net/appletalk/ddp.c:332 [inline] atif_ioctl+0xb58/0x16c0 net/appletalk/ddp.c:857 atalk_ioctl+0x198/0x2f0 net/appletalk/ddp.c:1818 sock_do_ioctl+0xdc/0x260 net/socket.c:1190 sock_ioctl+0x239/0x6a0 net/socket.c:1311 vfs_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:51 [inline] __do_sys_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:906 [inline] __se_sys_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:892 [inline] __x64_sys_ioctl+0x194/0x200 fs/ioctl.c:892 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:63 [inline] do_syscall_64+0xcb/0x250 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:94 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f </TASK> Allocated: aarp_alloc net/appletalk/aarp.c:382 [inline] aarp_proxy_probe_network+0xd8/0x630 net/appletalk/aarp.c:468 atif_proxy_probe_device net/appletalk/ddp.c:332 [inline] atif_ioctl+0xb58/0x16c0 net/appletalk/ddp.c:857 atalk_ioctl+0x198/0x2f0 net/appletalk/ddp.c:1818 Freed: kfree+0x148/0x4d0 mm/slub.c:4841 __aarp_expire net/appletalk/aarp.c:90 [inline] __aarp_expire_timer net/appletalk/aarp.c:261 [inline] aarp_expire_timeout+0x480/0x6e0 net/appletalk/aarp.c:317 The buggy address belongs to the object at ffff8880123aa300 which belongs to the cache kmalloc-192 of size 192 The buggy address is located 96 bytes inside of freed 192-byte region [ffff8880123aa300, ffff8880123aa3c0) Memory state around the buggy address: ffff8880123aa200: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ffff8880123aa280: 00 00 00 00 fc fc fc fc fc fc fc fc fc fc fc fc >ffff8880123aa300: fa fb fb fb fb fb fb fb fb fb fb fb fb fb fb fb ^ ffff8880123aa380: fb fb fb fb fb fb fb fb fc fc fc fc fc fc fc fc ffff8880123aa400: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ==================================================================
Source
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
NVD status
Analyzed
Products
linux_kernel, debian_linux

Risk scores

CVSS 3.1

Type
Primary
Base score
7.8
Impact score
5.9
Exploitability score
1.8
Vector string
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Severity
HIGH

Weaknesses

nvd@nist.gov
CWE-416

Social media

Hype score
Not currently trending

Configurations

  1. In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: cgroup: Avoid iteration of dying tasks with zero refcount The commit 260fbcb92bbea ("cgroup: Move dying_tasks cleanup from cgroup_task_release() to cgroup_task_free()") extended the lifetime of tasks on the dying_tasks list. The iterators have provision to go through dying_tasks because of dying threadgroup leaders or explicit CSS_TASK_ITER_WITH_DEAD, however, it was expected that such tasks can obtain a new reference (that is possible before cgroup_task_release()/put_task_struct_rcu_user()). The tasks after cgroup_task_release() and before cgroup_task_free() are subject to race when they may or may not have ->usage count > 0. The race window is between css_task_iter_next() invocations when css_set_lock is released and we may arrive at a new ->task_pos. The iterator should not attempt to resurrect tasks whose ->usage count dropped to zero. (When that happens, __put_task_struct_rcu_cb() is already imminent and the returned task_struct would could be used after free.) As for the fix, we cannot simply check the signal->live count of a task on the dying list because that won't distinguish regular zombies waiting to be reaped from RCU remnant tasks that are going to be free'd. Therefore add an extra check to rule out ->usage==0 tasks from any iteration. The repeat: loop in css_task_iter_advance() doesn't consider ->usage count, so add a new loop to css_task_iter_next() to skip de-used tasks on the dying_list. Rough illustration of the possible race R (reader of cgroup.procs) T (thread) L (group leader) --------------------------------- -------------------------------- -------------------------------- L exits, signal->live > 0 cgroup_task_dead(L) css_set_skip_task_iters() // skips only cset->tasks list_add_tail(&L->cg_list, &cset->dying_tasks) css_task_iter_next() take css_set_lock css_task_iter_advance() leader && signal->live != 0 => it->task_pos = &L->cg_list release css_set_lock T exits --signal->live == 0 cgroup_task_dead(T) // css_set_lock release_task(T) cgroup_task_release(T) release_task(L) // zap_leader cgroup_task_release(L) put_task_struct_rcu_user(L) ...RCU... put_task_struct(L) L->usage = 0 /* L still on dying_tasks */ ...RCU... __put_task_struct(L) css_task_iter_next() // another iteration take css_set_lock it->task_pos = &L->cg_list get_task_struct(L) => addition on 0 drop css_set_lock cgroup_task_free(L) css_set_skip_task_iters() // dying skip comes too late free_task(L) cgroup_procs_show() task_pid_vnr(L)•CVE-2026-98163