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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2025-38118

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-07-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.1.142 / 6.6.94 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click Patch available

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 · unedited
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: Bluetooth: MGMT: Fix UAF on mgmt_remove_adv_monitor_complete This reworks MGMT_OP_REMOVE_ADV_MONITOR to not use mgmt_pending_add to avoid crashes like bellow: ================================================================== BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in mgmt_remove_adv_monitor_complete+0xe5/0x540 net/bluetooth/mgmt.c:5406 Read of size 8 at addr ffff88801c53f318 by task kworker/u5:5/5341 CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 5341 Comm: kworker/u5:5 Not tainted 6.15.0-syzkaller-10402-g4cb6c8af8591 #0 PREEMPT(full) Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS 1.16.3-debian-1.16.3-2~bpo12+1 04/01/2014 Workqueue: hci0 hci_cmd_sync_work Call Trace: <TASK> dump_stack_lvl+0x189/0x250 lib/dump_stack.c:120 print_address_description mm/kasan/report.c:408 [inline] print_report+0xd2/0x2b0 mm/kasan/report.c:521 kasan_report+0x118/0x150 mm/kasan/report.c:634 mgmt_remove_adv_monitor_complete+0xe5/0x540 net/bluetooth/mgmt.c:5406 hci_cmd_sync_work+0x261/0x3a0 net/bluetooth/hci_sync.c:334 process_one_work kernel/workqueue.c:3238 [inline] process_scheduled_works+0xade/0x17b0 kernel/workqueue.c:3321 worker_thread+0x8a0/0xda0 kernel/workqueue.c:3402 kthread+0x711/0x8a0 kernel/kthread.c:464 ret_from_fork+0x3fc/0x770 arch/x86/kernel/process.c:148 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:245 </TASK> Allocated by task 5987: kasan_save_stack mm/kasan/common.c:47 [inline] kasan_save_track+0x3e/0x80 mm/kasan/common.c:68 poison_kmalloc_redzone mm/kasan/common.c:377 [inline] __kasan_kmalloc+0x93/0xb0 mm/kasan/common.c:394 kasan_kmalloc include/linux/kasan.h:260 [inline] __kmalloc_cache_noprof+0x230/0x3d0 mm/slub.c:4358 kmalloc_noprof include/linux/slab.h:905 [inline] kzalloc_noprof include/linux/slab.h:1039 [inline] mgmt_pending_new+0x65/0x240 net/bluetooth/mgmt_util.c:252 mgmt_pending_add+0x34/0x120 net/bluetooth/mgmt_util.c:279 remove_adv_monitor+0x103/0x1b0 net/bluetooth/mgmt.c:5454 hci_mgmt_cmd+0x9c9/0xef0 net/bluetooth/hci_sock.c:1719 hci_sock_sendmsg+0x6ca/0xef0 net/bluetooth/hci_sock.c:1839 sock_sendmsg_nosec net/socket.c:712 [inline] __sock_sendmsg+0x219/0x270 net/socket.c:727 sock_write_iter+0x258/0x330 net/socket.c:1131 new_sync_write fs/read_write.c:593 [inline] vfs_write+0x548/0xa90 fs/read_write.c:686 ksys_write+0x145/0x250 fs/read_write.c:738 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:63 [inline] do_syscall_64+0xfa/0x3b0 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:94 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f Freed by task 5989: kasan_save_stack mm/kasan/common.c:47 [inline] kasan_save_track+0x3e/0x80 mm/kasan/common.c:68 kasan_save_free_info+0x46/0x50 mm/kasan/generic.c:576 poison_slab_object mm/kasan/common.c:247 [inline] __kasan_slab_free+0x62/0x70 mm/kasan/common.c:264 kasan_slab_free include/linux/kasan.h:233 [inline] slab_free_hook mm/slub.c:2380 [inline] slab_free mm/slub.c:4642 [inline] kfree+0x18e/0x440 mm/slub.c:4841 mgmt_pending_foreach+0xc9/0x120 net/bluetooth/mgmt_util.c:242 mgmt_index_removed+0x10d/0x2f0 net/bluetooth/mgmt.c:9366 hci_sock_bind+0xbe9/0x1000 net/bluetooth/hci_sock.c:1314 __sys_bind_socket net/socket.c:1810 [inline] __sys_bind+0x2c3/0x3e0 net/socket.c:1841 __do_sys_bind net/socket.c:1846 [inline] __se_sys_bind net/socket.c:1844 [inline] __x64_sys_bind+0x7a/0x90 net/socket.c:1844 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:63 [inline] do_syscall_64+0xfa/0x3b0 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:94 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f

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 analysis
How this class of weakness works · CWE-416

Memory 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
Affected:>= 5.12, < 6.1.142>= 6.2, < 6.6.94>= 6.7, < 6.12.34>= 6.13, < 6.15.3= 6.16
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 11.0

CVSS 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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 6.1.142 / 6.6.94 / 6.12.34 or later
Fixed in 6.1.1426.6.946.12.34
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to Linux kernel 6.1.142+, 6.6.94+, 6.12.34+, or 6.15.3+ (or the latest stable kernel in your distribution's repo)

  1. Identify the current kernel version using `uname -r`
  2. Check which kernel version branch your system is using (e.g., 6.1.x, 6.6.x, 6.12.x, or 6.13.x+)
  3. For Debian 11 (Bullseye), update the kernel package by running: `apt update && apt upgrade linux-image-amd64`
  4. If the default repo does not provide a fixed kernel, add the Debian LTS security updates or backports: `echo "deb http://security.debian.org/debian-security bullseye-security main" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/security.list && apt update && apt install -t bullseye-security linux-image-amd64`
  5. Reboot the system to load the patched kernel: `systemctl reboot`
  6. Verify the kernel version after reboot: `uname -r` - it should be >= 6.1.142, >= 6.6.94, >= 6.12.34, or >= 6.15.3 depending on the branch
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require system reboots and could introduce compatibility issues with custom kernel modules or very specific hardware drivers - test in staging if possible

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $3,200. Get the upgrade done

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-38118 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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