Linux KernelOperating system · Linux
CVE-2025-38658
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: nvmet: pci-epf: Do not complete commands twice if nvmet_req_init() fails Have nvmet_req_init() and req->execute() complete failed commands. Description of the problem: nvmet_req_init() calls __nvmet_req_complete() internally upon failure, e.g., unsupported opcode, which calls the "queue_response" callback, this results in nvmet_pci_epf_queue_response() being called, which will call nvmet_pci_epf_complete_iod() if data_len is 0 or if dma_dir is different from DMA_TO_DEVICE. This results in a double completion as nvmet_pci_epf_exec_iod_work() also calls nvmet_pci_epf_complete_iod() when nvmet_req_init() fails. Steps to reproduce: On the host send a command with an unsupported opcode with nvme-cli, For example the admin command "security receive" $ sudo nvme security-recv /dev/nvme0n1 -n1 -x4096 This triggers a double completion as nvmet_req_init() fails and nvmet_pci_epf_queue_response() is called, here iod->dma_dir is still in the default state of "DMA_NONE" as set by default in nvmet_pci_epf_alloc_iod(), so nvmet_pci_epf_complete_iod() is called. Because nvmet_req_init() failed nvmet_pci_epf_complete_iod() is also called in nvmet_pci_epf_exec_iod_work() leading to a double completion. This not only sends two completions to the host but also corrupts the state of the PCI NVMe target leading to kernel oops. This patch lets nvmet_req_init() and req->execute() complete all failed commands, and removes the double completion case in nvmet_pci_epf_exec_iod_work() therefore fixing the edge cases where double completions occurred.
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 or a resource is used before it has been initialised, so its contents are whatever happened to be there — sometimes leaking earlier data, sometimes values an attacker can influence. Behaviour becomes unpredictable and occasionally exploitable. Remediation is initialising every resource before use and ensuring initialisation happens on all code paths.
General guidance for the use of uninitialized resource 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
>= 6.14, < 6.16.1CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 · scoped6.16.1
Linux Kernel 6.16.1
- 1. Identify all systems running Linux Kernel versions >= 6.14 and < 6.16.1 that use the NVMe target PCI endpoint function (nvmet-pci-epf).
- 2. Schedule a maintenance window for affected systems.
- 3. Obtain the Linux Kernel 6.16.1 or later stable release from https://www.kernel.org/ or your distribution's package repositories.
- 4. Update the kernel package using your distribution's standard package manager (e.g., apt-get, yum, dnf).
- 5. Reboot the systems to load the new kernel.
- 6. Verify the kernel version after reboot using 'uname -r' to confirm the fix is applied.
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-2025-38658 — 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-2025-38658 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data