{"id":49462,"date":"2025-06-07T08:45:38","date_gmt":"2025-06-07T08:45:38","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-10-22T19:05:44","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T01:05:44","slug":"cve-2025-37838-use-after-free-vulnerability-in-linux-kernel-s-ssi-protocol-driver-due-to-race-condition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-37838-use-after-free-vulnerability-in-linux-kernel-s-ssi-protocol-driver-due-to-race-condition\/","title":{"rendered":"<strong>CVE-2025-37838: Use After Free Vulnerability in Linux Kernel\u2019s ssi_protocol Driver Due to Race Condition<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The CVE-2025-37838 vulnerability is a critical issue found in the Linux kernel&#8217;s ssi_protocol driver. Unpatched systems are exposed to potential system compromise or data leakage, making it a high-priority concern for all Linux users. The vulnerability arises from a use after free condition caused by a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-42598-critical-security-vulnerability-in-seiko-epson-printer-drivers-for-windows-os\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"57573\">race condition in the ssi_protocol<\/a> driver. In the hands of a skilled attacker, this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-39350-unauthorized-access-vulnerability-in-rocket-apps-wproject\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"55628\">vulnerability can be exploited to gain unauthorized access<\/a> to sensitive data or even take over the system.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Vulnerability Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>CVE ID: CVE-2025-37838<br \/>\nSeverity: High (7.8\/10)<br \/>\nAttack Vector: Local<br \/>\nPrivileges Required: Low<br \/>\nUser Interaction: None<br \/>\nImpact: Potential <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-41651-critical-system-compromise-due-to-missing-authentication\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"55916\">system compromise<\/a> or data leakage<\/p>\n<p><strong>Affected Products<\/strong><\/p><div id=\"ameeb-117319035\" class=\"ameeb-content-2 ameeb-entity-placement\"><div style=\"border-left: 4px solid #555; padding-left: 20px; margin: 48px 0; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: #ffffff; line-height: 1.6; max-width: 700px;\">\r\n  <h2 style=\"margin-top: 0; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; display: flex; align-items: center;\">\r\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/chat\" style=\"display: inline-flex; align-items: center; margin-right: 8px;\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Best-App-icon-Ameeba.png\" alt=\"Ameeba Chat Icon\" style=\"width: 40px; height: 40px;\" \/>\r\n    <\/a>\r\n    A new way to communicate\r\n  <\/h2>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"margin-bottom: 12px;\">\r\n    Ameeba Chat is built on encrypted identity, not personal profiles.\r\n  <\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"margin-bottom: 16px;\">\r\n    Message, call, share files, and coordinate with identities kept separate.\r\n  <\/p>\r\n\r\n  <ul style=\"list-style: none; padding-left: 0; margin-bottom: 20px;\">\r\n    <li>\u2022 Encrypted identity<\/li>\r\n    <li>\u2022 Ameeba Chat authenticates access<\/li>\r\n    <li>\u2022 Aliases and categories<\/li>\r\n    <li>\u2022 End-to-end encrypted chat, calls, and files<\/li>\r\n    <li>\u2022 Secure notes for sensitive information<\/li>\r\n  <\/ul>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"font-style: italic; font-weight: 600; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\r\n    Private communication, rethought.\r\n  <\/p>\r\n\r\n  <div style=\"display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 12px;\">\r\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/chat\/download\" style=\"background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; padding: 10px 20px; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 6px; font-weight: 500;\">Download Ameeba Chat<\/a>\r\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/chat\" style=\"border: 1px solid #ffffff; color: #ffffff; padding: 10px 20px; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 6px; font-weight: 500;\">Learn More<\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<p>Product | Affected Versions<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-21879-the-linux-kernel-btrfs-use-after-free-vulnerability\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"56546\">Linux Kernel<\/a> | 4.x, 5.x, 6.x<\/p>\n<p><strong>How the Exploit Works<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The vulnerability lies in the ssi_protocol_probe() function. Here, &#038;ssi->work is bound with ssip_xmit_work(), which allows the ssip_pn_xmit() function within the ssip_pn_ops structure to start the work. During the removal of the module, the ssi_protocol_remove() function initiates cleanup, which frees ssi via kfree(ssi). However, the previously mentioned work can still use the now-freed ssi, leading to a use after free bug.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Conceptual Example Code<\/strong><\/p><div id=\"ameeb-612489409\" class=\"ameeb-content ameeb-entity-placement\"><div class=\"poptin-embedded\" data-id=\"f6b387694f681\"><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/div>\n<p>Below is a conceptual example of how the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-45997-exploiting-file-upload-vulnerability-in-web-based-pharmacy-product-management-system\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"57574\">vulnerability might be exploited<\/a>. This is pseudocode and not meant to be implemented directly:<\/p>\n<pre><code class=\"\" data-line=\"\">\/\/ Load module\nload_module(&quot;vulnerable_module&quot;);\n\/\/ Start the work in the background\nstart_work(ssi);\n\/\/ Unload the module - this causes ssi to be freed\nunload_module(&quot;vulnerable_module&quot;);\n\/\/ The work continues in the background, unaware that ssi has been freed\n\/\/ This causes a use-after-free vulnerability\ncontinue_work(ssi);<\/code><\/pre>\n<p><strong>Mitigation<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Users are strongly advised to apply the vendor patch as soon as it becomes available. In the interim, employing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) may serve as a temporary mitigation strategy. However, it should be noted that these are only stopgap measures and do not <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2024-49842-critical-memory-corruption-vulnerability-in-protected-vm-address-space\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"58892\">address the root cause of the vulnerability<\/a>.<br \/>\nRegularly updating your system and ensuring your security measures are up-to-date are crucial steps in mitigating the risk of such <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/alabama-state-government-faces-cybersecurity-threat-a-detailed-analysis\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"55917\">cybersecurity threats<\/a>. It is always recommended to follow best <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-7093-critical-vulnerability-in-belkin-f9k1122-1-00-33-impacting-system-security-and-data-integrity\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"91187\">security<\/a> practices and maintain a proactive approach to system security.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Overview The CVE-2025-37838 vulnerability is a critical issue found in the Linux kernel&#8217;s ssi_protocol driver. Unpatched systems are exposed to potential system compromise or data leakage, making it a high-priority concern for all Linux users. The vulnerability arises from a use after free condition caused by a race condition in the ssi_protocol driver. In the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"vendor":[88],"product":[95],"attack_vector":[],"asset_type":[],"severity":[],"exploit_status":[],"class_list":["post-49462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","vendor-linux","product-linux-kernel"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49462"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49462\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84206,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49462\/revisions\/84206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49462"},{"taxonomy":"vendor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vendor?post=49462"},{"taxonomy":"product","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product?post=49462"},{"taxonomy":"attack_vector","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/attack_vector?post=49462"},{"taxonomy":"asset_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/asset_type?post=49462"},{"taxonomy":"severity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/severity?post=49462"},{"taxonomy":"exploit_status","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/exploit_status?post=49462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}