Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: appletalk: Fix use...
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:
__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
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
==================================================================
Impact
Memory is accessed after it has been freed, leading to undefined behavior in native code. Typical impact: memory corruption, crash, or potential code execution.
CVE-2025-38666 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (High). The vector is requires local access, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. No fixed version is listed yet, so configuration controls and monitoring matter more in the interim.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2025-38666? CVE-2025-38666 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability. No fixed version is listed yet. Memory is accessed after it has been freed, leading to undefined behavior in native code.
- How severe is CVE-2025-38666? CVE-2025-38666 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2025-38666? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2025-38666 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2025-38666 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-38666 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2025-38666 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.