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CVE-2025-38421 (GCVE-0-2025-38421)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2025-07-25 14:16 – Updated: 2026-08-05 12:01
VLAI
Title
platform/x86/amd: pmf: Use device managed allocations
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: platform/x86/amd: pmf: Use device managed allocations If setting up smart PC fails for any reason then this can lead to a double free when unloading amd-pmf. This is because dev->buf was freed but never set to NULL and is again freed in amd_pmf_remove(). To avoid subtle allocation bugs in failures leading to a double free change all allocations into device managed allocations.
Severity
7.8 (High)
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Assigner
References
Impacted products
Vendor Product Version CPE status
Linux Linux Affected: 5b1122fc4995f308b21d7cfc64ef9880ac834d20 , < 0d10b532f861253c283863522d59d099fcb0796d (git)
Affected: 5b1122fc4995f308b21d7cfc64ef9880ac834d20 , < d9db3a941270d92bbd1a6a6b54a10324484f2f2d (git)
Affected: e70b4b8f93d7fcf8ee063a1d1f18782c4da3d335 (git)
Affected: 3ed60e51ffdbfef14169bd967e21a6ba5e5ff42b (git)
Affected: 6.12.23 , < 6.13 (semver)
Affected: 6.13.11 , < 6.14 (semver)
guessed Create a notification for this product.
Linux Linux Affected: 6.14
Unaffected: 0 , < 6.14 (semver)
Unaffected: 6.15.4 , ≤ 6.15.* (semver)
Unaffected: 6.16 , ≤ * (original_commit_for_fix)
guessed Create a notification for this product.
Show details on NVD website
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          "product": "Linux",
          "programFiles": [
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          "lang": "en",
          "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nplatform/x86/amd: pmf: Use device managed allocations\n\nIf setting up smart PC fails for any reason then this can lead to\na double free when unloading amd-pmf.  This is because dev-\u003ebuf was\nfreed but never set to NULL and is again freed in amd_pmf_remove().\n\nTo avoid subtle allocation bugs in failures leading to a double free\nchange all allocations into device managed allocations."
        }
      ],
      "metrics": [
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            "baseSeverity": "HIGH",
            "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
            "version": "3.1"
          },
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              "lang": "en",
              "value": "AV:L - The amd-pmf platform driver is reachable only from the local machine \u2014 via driver unbind/module unload, the suspend/resume PM path, or the debugfs `update_policy` handler. There is no network or adjacent-network exposure.\nAC:L - On an affected system (AMD laptop whose BIOS advertises Smart PC while the PMF TA/policy is unavailable) `amd_pmf_init_smart_pc()` fails deterministically at every boot, leaving `dev-\u003ebuf`, `dev-\u003epolicy_buf` and `dev-\u003eprev_data` dangling, so the attacker simply triggers unbind or a suspend/resume cycle to hit the double free/UAF with 100% reliability.\nPR:L - The dangling `pdev-\u003ebuf` is dereferenced from `amd_pmf_resume_handler()`/`amd_pmf_restore_handler()` and from the re-armed `pb_work` handler, and an unprivileged local user in an active session can initiate suspend/resume through logind; heap grooming to control the reused slab object also needs only unprivileged allocations.\nUI:N - The attacker performs the triggering action themselves (driver unbind/module unload or a suspend/resume cycle); no separate victim needs to be induced into any action.\nS:U - The corrupted memory and the resulting privilege escalation are entirely within the kernel\u0027s own security authority; no VM, IOMMU, or sandbox boundary is crossed.\nC:H - The stale `dev-\u003ebuf`/`dev-\u003eprev_data` pointers are read after free (`memcpy(\u0026dev-\u003em_table, dev-\u003ebuf, dev-\u003emtable_size)` in `amd_pmf_get_smu_info()`), leaking reallocated kernel slab contents, and the double free gives the attacker a slab object shared with another subsystem, which is a general kernel-memory read primitive.\nI:H - The double free of `dev-\u003ebuf` (and of `policy_buf`/`prev_data`) lets the same slab object be handed to two owners, and the UAF write paths (`memset(dev-\u003ebuf, 0, dev-\u003emtable_size)`, `dev-\u003eprev_data-\u003espl = val`, plus SMU DMA into the freed page programmed by `amd_pmf_set_dram_addr()`) provide a controlled write into live kernel objects, which is exploitable for control-flow hijack.\nA:H - A double free triggers immediate slab freelist corruption \u2014 a BUG/panic under freelist hardening or CONFIG_SLUB_DEBUG, and unbounded heap corruption leading to a crash otherwise; the UAF accesses from the PM resume path can be repeated to reliably crash the system."
            }
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        "shortName": "Linux"
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    "assignerShortName": "Linux",
    "cveId": "CVE-2025-38421",
    "datePublished": "2025-07-25T14:16:42.409Z",
    "dateReserved": "2025-04-16T04:51:24.014Z",
    "dateUpdated": "2026-08-05T12:01:44.968Z",
    "state": "PUBLISHED"
  },
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Si la configuraci\u00f3n de Smart PC falla por cualquier motivo, esto puede provocar una doble liberaci\u00f3n al descargar amd-pmf. Esto se debe a que dev-\u0026gt;buf se liber\u00f3, pero nunca se configur\u00f3 como NULL y se libera de nuevo en amd_pmf_remove(). Para evitar errores sutiles de asignaci\u00f3n en fallos que provoquen una doble liberaci\u00f3n, cambie todas las asignaciones a asignaciones administradas por dispositivo.\"}],\"affected\":[{\"source\":\"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67\",\"affectedData\":[{\"vendor\":\"Linux\",\"product\":\"Linux\",\"defaultStatus\":\"unaffected\",\"programFiles\":[\"drivers/platform/x86/amd/pmf/core.c\",\"drivers/platform/x86/amd/pmf/tee-if.c\"],\"repo\":\"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git\",\"versions\":[{\"version\":\"5b1122fc4995f308b21d7cfc64ef9880ac834d20\",\"lessThan\":\"0d10b532f861253c283863522d59d099fcb0796d\",\"versionType\":\"git\",\"status\":\"affected\"},{\"version\":\"5b1122fc4995f308b21d7cfc64ef9880ac834d20\",\"lessThan\":\"d9db3a941270d92bbd1a6a6b54a10324484f2f2d\",\"versionType\":\"git\",\"status\":\"affected\"},{\"version\":\"e70b4b8f93d7fcf8ee063a1d1f18782c4da3d335\",\"versionType\":\"git\",\"status\":\"affected\"},{\"version\":\"3ed60e51ffdbfef14169bd967e21a6ba5e5ff42b\",\"versionType\":\"git\",\"status\":\"affected\"},{\"version\":\"6.12.23\",\"lessThan\":\"6.13\",\"versionType\":\"semver\",\"status\":\"affected\"},{\"version\":\"6.13.11\",\"lessThan\":\"6.14\",\"versionType\":\"semver\",\"status\":\"affected\"}]},{\"vendor\":\"Linux\",\"product\":\"Linux\",\"defaultStatus\":\"affected\",\"programFiles\":[\"drivers/platform/x86/amd/pmf/core.c\",\"drivers/platform/x86/amd/pmf/tee-if.c\"],\"repo\":\"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git\",\"versions\":[{\"version\":\"6.14\",\"status\":\"affected\"},{\"version\":\"0\",\"lessThan\":\"6.14\",\"versionType\":\"semver\",\"status\":\"unaffected\"},{\"version\":\"6.15.4\",\"lessThanOrEqual\":\"6.15.*\",\"versionType\":\"semver\",\"status\":\"unaffected\"},{\"version\":\"6.16\",\"lessThanOrEqual\":\"*\",\"versionType\":\"original_commit_for_fix\",\"status\":\"unaffected\"}]}]}],\"metrics\":{\"cvssMetricV31\":[{\"source\":\"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67\",\"type\":\"Secondary\",\"cvssData\":{\"version\":\"3.1\",\"vectorString\":\"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H\",\"baseScore\":7.8,\"baseSeverity\":\"HIGH\",\"attackVector\":\"LOCAL\",\"attackComplexity\":\"LOW\",\"privilegesRequired\":\"LOW\",\"userInteraction\":\"NONE\",\"scope\":\"UNCHANGED\",\"confidentialityImpact\":\"HIGH\",\"integrityImpact\":\"HIGH\",\"availabilityImpact\":\"HIGH\"},\"exploitabilityScore\":1.8,\"impactScore\":5.9},{\"source\":\"nvd@nist.gov\",\"type\":\"Primary\",\"cvssData\":{\"version\":\"3.1\",\"vectorString\":\"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H\",\"baseScore\":7.8,\"baseSeverity\":\"HIGH\",\"attackVector\":\"LOCAL\",\"attackComplexity\":\"LOW\",\"privilegesRequired\":\"LOW\",\"userInteraction\":\"NONE\",\"scope\":\"UNCHANGED\",\"confidentialityImpact\":\"HIGH\",\"integrityImpact\":\"HIGH\",\"availabilityImpact\":\"HIGH\"},\"exploitabilityScore\":1.8,\"impactScore\":5.9}]},\"weaknesses\":[{\"source\":\"nvd@nist.gov\",\"type\":\"Primary\",\"description\":[{\"lang\":\"en\",\"value\":\"CWE-415\"}]}],\"configurations\":[{\"nodes\":[{\"operator\":\"OR\",\"negate\":false,\"cpeMatch\":[{\"vulnerable\":true,\"criteria\":\"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*\",\"versionStartIncluding\":\"6.12.23\",\"versionEndExcluding\":\"6.13\",\"matchCriteriaId\":\"50F52A53-697C-4085-B8FE-105DE882578F\"},{\"vulnerable\":true,\"criteria\":\"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*\",\"versionStartIncluding\":\"6.13.11\",\"versionEndExcluding\":\"6.14\",\"matchCriteriaId\":\"124AE182-7E9F-4410-9E08-5976ED49C6A4\"},{\"vulnerable\":true,\"criteria\":\"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*\",\"versionStartIncluding\":\"6.14.1\",\"versionEndExcluding\":\"6.15.4\",\"matchCriteriaId\":\"A43298F2-A0DE-4797-B4E4-14DE5F4D5EED\"},{\"vulnerable\":true,\"criteria\":\"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.14:-:*:*:*:*:*:*\",\"matchCriteriaId\":\"7DE421BA-0600-4401-A175-73CAB6A6FB4E\"},{\"vulnerable\":true,\"criteria\":\"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.14:rc7:*:*:*:*:*:*\",\"matchCriteriaId\":\"AD948719-8628-4421-A340-1066314BBD4A\"},{\"vulnerable\":true,\"criteria\":\"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:*\",\"matchCriteriaId\":\"6D4894DB-CCFE-4602-B1BF-3960B2E19A01\"},{\"vulnerable\":true,\"criteria\":\"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:*\",\"matchCriteriaId\":\"09709862-E348-4378-8632-5A7813EDDC86\"}]}]}],\"references\":[{\"url\":\"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0d10b532f861253c283863522d59d099fcb0796d\",\"source\":\"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67\",\"tags\":[\"Patch\"]},{\"url\":\"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d9db3a941270d92bbd1a6a6b54a10324484f2f2d\",\"source\":\"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67\",\"tags\":[\"Patch\"]}]}}",
    "redhat_vex": {
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      "cve": "CVE-2025-38421",
      "id": "CVE-2025-38421",
      "initial_release_date": "2025-07-25T00:00:00+00:00",
      "product_status:known_not_affected": "274",
      "source": "Red Hat CSAF VEX",
      "status": "final",
      "title": "kernel: platform/x86/amd: pmf: Use device managed allocations",
      "url": "https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2025/cve-2025-38421.json",
      "version": "3"
    },
    "suse_vex": {
      "aggregate_severity": "important",
      "current_release_date": "2026-09-03T00:14:43Z",
      "cve": "CVE-2025-38421",
      "id": "CVE-2025-38421",
      "initial_release_date": "2025-07-29T23:23:48Z",
      "product_status:first_fixed": "2",
      "product_status:known_not_affected": "524",
      "product_status:recommended": "154",
      "source": "SUSE CSAF VEX",
      "status": "interim",
      "title": "SUSE CVE CVE-2025-38421",
      "url": "https://ftp.suse.com/pub/projects/security/csaf-vex/cve-2025-38421.json",
      "version": "21"
    }
  }
}



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Forecast uses a logistic model when the trend is rising, or an exponential decay model when the trend is falling. Fitted via linearized least squares.

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Nomenclature

  • Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
  • Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
  • Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
  • Exploited: The vulnerability was observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
  • Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
  • Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
  • Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
  • Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.


Detection rules are retrieved from Rulezet.


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