CVE-2025-37838: linux Use After Free

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2025-37838 is a high (CVSS 7.8) Use After Free vulnerability in linux. EPSS estimates a 0.25% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 15.1% of scored vulnerabilities.

Timeline

1. 18-04-2025
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 05-08-2026
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: HSI: ssi_protocol: Fix use after free vulnerability in ssi_protocol Driver Due to Race Condition In the ssi_protocol_probe() function, &ssi->work is bound with ssip_xmit_work(), In ssip_pn_setup(), the ssip_pn_xmit() function within the ssip_pn_ops structure is capable of starting the work. If we remove the module which will call ssi_protocol_remove() to make a cleanup, it will free ssi through kfree(ssi), while the work mentioned above will be used. The sequence of operations that may lead to a UAF bug is as follows: CPU0 CPU1 | ssip_xmit_work ssi_protocol_remove | kfree(ssi); | | struct hsi_client *cl = ssi->cl; | // use ssi Fix it by ensuring that the work is canceled before proceeding with the cleanup in ssi_protocol_remove().

• CWE-416Use After FreeThe product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.