net: appletalk: Fix use-after-free in AARP proxy probe
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Code execution
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 1 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-416 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
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: <TASK> __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 </TASK> 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 ==================================================================
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 2.6.12 and later | 5.4.297, 5.10.241, 5.15.190, 6.1.148, 6.6.101, 6.12.41, 6.15.9, 6.16 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 2.6.12 and later Fixed in 5.4.297, 5.10.241, 5.15.190, 6.1.148, 6.6.101, 6.12.41, 6.15.9, 6.16 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 14
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 2.6.13 to before 5.4.297; 5.5 to before 5.10.241; 5.11 to before 5.15.190; 5.16 to before 6.1.148; 6.2 to before 6.6.101; 6.7 to before 6.12.41; 6.13 to before 6.15.9 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:2.6.12:-:*:*:*:*:*:* | 2.6.12 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:2.6.12:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* | 2.6.12 rc2 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:2.6.12:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* | 2.6.12 rc3 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:2.6.12:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* | 2.6.12 rc4 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:2.6.12:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* | 2.6.12 rc5 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.16 rc1 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.16 rc2 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.16 rc3 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.16 rc4 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 2.6.13 to before 5.4.297; 5.5 to before 5.10.241; 5.11 to before 5.15.190; 5.16 to before 6.1.148; 6.2 to before 6.6.101; 6.7 to before 6.12.41; 6.13 to before 6.15.9 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:2.6.12:-:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 2.6.12 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:2.6.12:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 2.6.12 rc2 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:2.6.12:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 2.6.12 rc3 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:2.6.12:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 2.6.12 rc4 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:2.6.12:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 2.6.12 rc5 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.16 rc1 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.16 rc2 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.16 rc3 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.16 rc4 Vulnerable ·Linux
Show 4 more CPE
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.16 rc5 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.16 rc6 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc7:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.16 rc7 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 11.0 | Vulnerable | Debian |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.16 rc5 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.16 rc6 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc7:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.16 rc7 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 11.0 Vulnerable ·Debian
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.4.297, 5.10.241, 5.15.190, 6.1.148, 6.6.101, 6.12.41, 6.15.9, 6.16
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
Not affected: 4 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2025-38666
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-xx5j-8788-qwj6
References
Patch 8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b35694ffabb2af308a1f725d70f60fd8a47d1f3e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/82d19a70ced28b17a38ebf1b6978c6c7db894979
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/186942d19c0222617ef61f50e1dba91e269a5963
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2a6209e4649d45fd85d4193abc481911858ffc6f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e4f1564c5b699eb89b3040688fd6b4e57922f1f6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5f02ea0f63dd38c41539ea290fcc1693c73aa8e5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f90b6bb203f3f38bf2b3d976113d51571df9a482
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6c4a92d07b0850342d3becf2e608f805e972467c
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- TI-2013-01864 The perf_swevent_init function in kernel/events/core.c in the Linux kernel before 3.8.9… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2021-05514 Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACE KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.3
Sources
- CVE-2025-38666 · CVE Program
- CVE-2025-38666 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-xx5j-8788-qwj6 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2025-38666 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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