#VU109499 Use-after-free in Linux kernel - CVE-2025-37989

Vulnerability identifier: #VU109499

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 5.9 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2025-37989

CWE-ID: CWE-416

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
Linux kernel
Operating systems & Components / Operating system

Vendor: Linux Foundation

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to escalate privileges on the system.

The vulnerability exists due to a use-after-free error within the phy_led_triggers_register() and phy_led_triggers_unregister() functions in drivers/net/phy/phy_led_triggers.c. A local user can escalate privileges on the system.

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Linux kernel: 6.1, 6.1 rc1, 6.1 rc3, 6.1 rc7, 6.1.1, 6.1.2, 6.1.3, 6.1.4, 6.1.5, 6.1.6, 6.1.7, 6.1.8, 6.1.9, 6.1.10, 6.1.11, 6.1.12, 6.1.13, 6.1.14, 6.1.15, 6.1.16, 6.1.17, 6.1.18, 6.1.19, 6.1.20, 6.1.21, 6.1.22, 6.1.23, 6.1.24, 6.1.25, 6.1.26, 6.1.27, 6.1.28, 6.1.29, 6.1.30, 6.1.31, 6.1.32, 6.1.33, 6.1.34, 6.1.35, 6.1.36, 6.1.37, 6.1.38, 6.1.39, 6.1.40, 6.1.41, 6.1.42, 6.1.43, 6.1.44, 6.1.45, 6.1.46, 6.1.47, 6.1.48, 6.1.49, 6.1.50, 6.1.51, 6.1.52, 6.1.53, 6.1.54, 6.1.55, 6.1.56, 6.1.57, 6.1.58, 6.1.59, 6.1.60, 6.1.61, 6.1.62, 6.1.63, 6.1.64, 6.1.65, 6.1.66, 6.1.67, 6.1.68, 6.1.69, 6.1.70, 6.1.71, 6.1.72, 6.1.73, 6.1.74, 6.1.75, 6.1.76, 6.1.77, 6.1.78, 6.1.79, 6.1.80, 6.1.81, 6.1.82, 6.1.83, 6.1.84, 6.1.85, 6.1.86, 6.1.87, 6.1.88, 6.1.89, 6.1.90, 6.1.91, 6.1.92, 6.1.93, 6.1.94, 6.1.95, 6.1.96, 6.1.97, 6.1.98, 6.1.99, 6.1.100, 6.1.101, 6.1.102, 6.1.103, 6.1.104, 6.1.105, 6.1.106, 6.1.107, 6.1.108, 6.1.109, 6.1.110, 6.1.111, 6.1.112, 6.1.113, 6.1.114, 6.1.115, 6.1.116, 6.1.117, 6.1.118, 6.1.119, 6.1.120, 6.1.121, 6.1.122, 6.1.123, 6.1.124, 6.1.125, 6.1.126, 6.1.127, 6.1.128, 6.1.129, 6.1.130, 6.1.131, 6.1.132, 6.1.133, 6.1.134, 6.1.135

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External links
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/41143e71052a00d654c15dc924fda50c1e7357d0
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/618541a6cc1511064dfa58c89b3445e21844092f
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/663c3da86e807c6c07ed48f911c7526fad6fe1ff
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7f3d5880800f962c347777c4f8358f29f5fc403c
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/95bed65cc0eb2a610550abf849a8b94374da80a7
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/966d6494e2ed9be9052fcd9815afba830896aaf8
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b7f0ee992adf601aa00c252418266177eb7ac2bc
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f41f097f68a33d392579885426d0734a81219501
https://mirrors.edge.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v6.x/ChangeLog-6.1.136

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.