CVE-2025-38580 | ext4: fix inode use after free in ext4_end_io_rsv_work()

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: fix inode use after free in ext4_end_io_rsv_work() In ext4_io_end_defer_completion(), check if io_end->list_vec is empty to avoid adding an io_end that requires no conversion to the i_rsv_conversion_list, which in turn prevents starting an unnecessary worker. An ext4_emergency_state() check is also added to avoid attempting to abort the journal in an emergency state. Additionally, ext4_put_io_end_defer() is refactored to call ext4_io_end_defer_completion() directly instead of being open-coded. This also prevents starting an unnecessary worker when EXT4_IO_END_FAILED is set but data_err=abort is not enabled. This ensures that the check in ext4_put_io_end_defer() is consistent with the check in ext4_end_bio(). Otherwise, we might add an io_end to the i_rsv_conversion_list and then call ext4_finish_bio(), after which the inode could be freed before ext4_end_io_rsv_work() is called, triggering a use-after-free issue.

Published: 2025-08-19 Last update: 2025-11-26 Assigner: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2025-38580 is rated Low Risk (32.8/100): CVSS High severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.15%). Mandatory action: Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2025-38580

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 0.02% 0.15% +0.13%
2 2025-08-20 0.02%

Full EPSS history (2 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2025-38580

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.8 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
1.8 5.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2025-38580

OS Trackers for CVE-2025-38580

vendor priority summary link
debian unimportant CVE-2025-38580 unimportant priority: Debian including 1 source packages (linux), 5 status rows across 5 suites (bookworm, bullseye, forky, sid, trixie): resolved 5. https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2025-38580
redhat https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-38580
suse medium CVE-2025-38580 severity moderate: SUSE including 26 source package names (cluster-md-kmp-default, dlm-kmp-default, …), 281 product×package rows across 55 product lines (SLES-LTSS-TERADATA 15 SP2, SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP7, … (55 product lines)): Known Not Affected 281. https://www.suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-38580/
ubuntu medium CVE-2025-38580 medium priority: Ubuntu including 144 source packages (linux, linux-allwinner-5.19, …), 1152 status rows across 8 suites (bionic, focal, jammy, noble, plucky, trusty, upstream, xenial): DNE 797, ignored 157, not-affected 125, released 73. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2025-38580

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2025-38580

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
linux linux_kernel >= 6.15, < 6.15.10 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel >= 6.16, < 6.16.1 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2025-38580

cvelogic Threat Intelligence