Linux KernelOperating system · Linux
CVE-2025-38024
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedIn the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: RDMA/rxe: Fix slab-use-after-free Read in rxe_queue_cleanup bug Call Trace: <TASK> __dump_stack lib/dump_stack.c:94 [inline] dump_stack_lvl+0x7d/0xa0 lib/dump_stack.c:120 print_address_description mm/kasan/report.c:378 [inline] print_report+0xcf/0x610 mm/kasan/report.c:489 kasan_report+0xb5/0xe0 mm/kasan/report.c:602 rxe_queue_cleanup+0xd0/0xe0 drivers/infiniband/sw/rxe/rxe_queue.c:195 rxe_cq_cleanup+0x3f/0x50 drivers/infiniband/sw/rxe/rxe_cq.c:132 __rxe_cleanup+0x168/0x300 drivers/infiniband/sw/rxe/rxe_pool.c:232 rxe_create_cq+0x22e/0x3a0 drivers/infiniband/sw/rxe/rxe_verbs.c:1109 create_cq+0x658/0xb90 drivers/infiniband/core/uverbs_cmd.c:1052 ib_uverbs_create_cq+0xc7/0x120 drivers/infiniband/core/uverbs_cmd.c:1095 ib_uverbs_write+0x969/0xc90 drivers/infiniband/core/uverbs_main.c:679 vfs_write fs/read_write.c:677 [inline] vfs_write+0x26a/0xcc0 fs/read_write.c:659 ksys_write+0x1b8/0x200 fs/read_write.c:731 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:52 [inline] do_syscall_64+0xaa/0x1b0 arch/x86/entry/common.c:83 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f In the function rxe_create_cq, when rxe_cq_from_init fails, the function rxe_cleanup will be called to handle the allocated resources. In fact, some memory resources have already been freed in the function rxe_cq_from_init. Thus, this problem will occur. The solution is to let rxe_cleanup do all the work.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysisMemory is used after it has been freed, so its contents — now potentially attacker-controlled — drive the program's behaviour. With careful heap grooming this becomes code execution. The fix requires disciplined ownership of memory and often a targeted rework of the object lifecycle.
General guidance for the use after free class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
>= 4.8, < 5.4.294>= 5.5, < 5.10.238>= 5.11, < 5.15.184>= 5.16, < 6.1.140>= 6.2, < 6.6.92>= 6.7, < 6.12.30>= 6.13, < 6.14.8= 6.15
Debian LinuxOperating system
= 11.0CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped5.4.2945.10.2385.15.184
Upgrade kernel to version 5.4.294 or later (for 5.4.x branch), 5.10.238 or later (for 5.10.x branch), 5.15.184 or later (for 5.15.x branch), or 6.1.140 or later (for 6.1.x branch). For Debian 11, apply Debian kernel security updates or consider upgrading to Debian 12.
- Identify your current kernel version using 'uname -r'
- Determine which version branch you are on from the affected ranges (4.8-5.4.x, 5.5-5.10.x, 5.11-5.15.x, or 5.16-6.1.x)
- For Debian 11 (bullseye), check if a patched kernel is available via 'apt update && apt-cache policy linux-image-*' or by checking Debian security advisories
- Upgrade to a patched kernel version: 5.4.294+, 5.10.238+, 5.15.184+, or 6.1.140+ depending on your branch
- Reboot the system to load the patched kernel
- Verify the fix is applied by checking the kernel version matches or exceeds the fixed versions
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-38024 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-38024 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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