Use After Free in Linux

CVE-2025-38656

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: iwlwifi: Fix error code in iwl_op_mode_dvm_start() Preserve the error code if iwl_setup_deferred_work() fails. The current code returns ERR_PTR(0) (which is NULL) on this path. I believe the missing error code potentially leads to a use after free involving debugfs.

Vulnerability class: Use-After-Free

Published · last modified .

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.002 (4.9th percentile), scored .

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 5th percentile — 4.9% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS trend (30 days)EPSS over the last 30 days for CVE-2025-38656: held from 0.002 to 0.002.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.002 · newest: 0.002 · change: +0.000

Affected products

  • Linux — versions 90a0d9f339960448a3acc1437a46730f975efd6a, 6663c52608d8d8727bf1911e6d9218069ba1c85e, c80832d445653baba5ac80cd2c2637c437ac881b
  • Linux Kernel

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2025-38656?
CVE-2025-38656 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux, classified under Use After Free. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2025-08-22.
How severe is CVE-2025-38656?
High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.