CVE-2025-39881: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-9jvj-xhwx-w88x
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CVSS 7.8
CWE-416
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2025-39881 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.8) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-416: Use After Free) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. at some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2025-39881 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2025-39881
GHSA Identifier GHSA-9jvj-xhwx-w88x
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.8
CWE Classification CWE-416: Use After Free
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2025-39881

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Software dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2025-39881, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Software in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-416: Use After Free, where the product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. at some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer. In Software, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: kernfs: Fix UAF in polling when open file is released A use-after-free (UAF) vulnerability was identified in the PSI (Pressure Stall Information) monitoring mechanism: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in psi_trigger_poll+0x3c/0x140 Read of size 8 at addr ffff3de3d50bd308 by task systemd/1 psi_trigger_poll+0x3c/0x140 cgroup_pressure_poll+0x70/0xa0 cgroup_file_poll+0x8c/0x100 kernfs_fop_poll+0x11c/0x1c0 ep_item_poll.isra.0+0x188/0x2c0 Allocated by task 1: cgroup_file_open+0x88/0x388 kernfs_fop_open+0x73c/0xaf0 do_dentry_open+0x5fc/0x1200 vfs_open+0xa0/0x3f0 do_open+0x7e8/0xd08 path_openat+0x2fc/0x6b0 do_filp_open+0x174/0x368 Freed by task 8462: cgroup_file_release+0x130/0x1f8 kernfs_drain_open_files+0x17c/0x440 kernfs_drain+0x2dc/0x360 kernfs_show+0x1b8/0x288 cgroup_file_show+0x150/0x268 cgroup_pressure_write+0x1dc/0x340 cgroup_file_write+0x274/0x548 Reproduction Steps: 1. Open test/cpu.pressure and establish epoll monitoring 2. Disable monitoring: echo 0 > test/cgroup.pressure 3. Re-enable monitoring: echo 1 > test/cgroup.pressure The race condition occurs because: 1. When cgroup.pressure is disabled (echo 0 > cgroup.pressure), it: - Releases PSI triggers via cgroup_file_release() - Frees of->priv through kernfs_drain_open_files() 2. While epoll still holds reference to the file and continues polling 3. Re-enabling (echo 1 > cgroup.pressure) accesses freed of->priv epolling disable/enable cgroup.pressure fd=open(cpu.pressure) while(1) ... epoll_wait kernfs_fop_poll kernfs_get_active = true echo 0 > cgroup.pressure ... cgroup_file_show kernfs_show // inactive kn kernfs_drain_open_files cft->release(of); kfree(ctx); ... kernfs_get_active = false echo 1 > cgroup.pressure kernfs_show kernfs_activate_one(kn); kernfs_fop_poll kernfs_get_active = true cgroup_file_poll psi_trigger_poll // UAF ... end: close(fd) To address this issue, introduce kernfs_get_active_of() for kernfs open files to obtain active references. This function will fail if the open file has been released. Replace kernfs_get_active() with kernfs_get_active_of() to prevent further operations on released file descriptors.

References

NVD — CVE-2025-39881 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-39881
git.kernel.org/stable/c/34d9cafd46... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/34d9cafd469c69ad85e6a36b4303c78382cf5c79
git.kernel.org/stable/c/3c9ba2777d... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3c9ba2777d6c86025e1ba4186dc5cd930e40ec5f
git.kernel.org/stable/c/7e64474aba... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7e64474aba78d240f7804f48f2d454dcca78b15f
git.kernel.org/stable/c/854baafc00... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/854baafc00c433cccbe0ab4231b77aeb9b637b77
git.kernel.org/stable/c/ac5cda4fae... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ac5cda4fae8818cf1963317bb699f7f2f85b60af
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce... WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/10/msg00008.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-39881?
CVE-2025-39881 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-416: Use After Free.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2025-39881?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2025-39881?
CVE-2025-39881 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2025-39881?
CVE-2025-39881 is classified under CWE-416: Use After Free (The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2025-39881?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-9jvj-xhwx-w88x",
  "modified" : "2026-01-16T21:30:27Z",
  "published" : "2025-09-23T06:30:28Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2025-39881" ],
  "details" : "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nkernfs: Fix UAF in polling when open file is released\n\nA use-after-free (UAF) vulnerability was identified in the PSI (Pressure\nStall Information) monitoring mechanism:\n\nBUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in psi_trigger_poll+0x3c/0x140\nRead of size 8 at addr ffff3de3d50bd308 by task systemd/1\n\npsi_trigger_poll+0x3c/0x140\ncgroup_pressure_poll+0x70/0xa0\ncgroup_file_poll+0x8c/0x100\nkernfs_fop_poll+0x11c/0x1c0\nep_item_poll.isra.0+0x188/0x2c0\n\nAllocated by task 1:\ncgroup_file_open+0x88/0x388\nkernfs_fop_open+0x73c/0xaf0\ndo_dentry_open+0x5fc/0x1200\nvfs_open+0xa0/0x3f0\ndo_open+0x7e8/0xd08\npath_openat+0x2fc/0x6b0\ndo_filp_open+0x174/0x368\n\nFreed by task 8462:\ncgroup_file_release+0x130/0x1f8\nkernfs_drain_open_files+0x17c/0x440\nkernfs_drain+0x2dc/0x360\nkernfs_show+0x1b8/0x288\ncgroup_file_show+0x150/0x268\ncgroup_pressure_write+0x1dc/0x340\ncgroup_file_write+0x274/0x548\n\nReproduction Steps:\n1. Open test/cpu.pressure and establish epoll monitoring\n2. Disable monitoring: echo 0 > test/cgroup.pressure\n3. Re-enable monitoring: echo 1 > test/cgroup.pressure\n\nThe race condition occurs because:\n1. When cgroup.pressure is disabled (echo 0 > cgroup.pressure), it:\n   - Releases PSI triggers via cgroup_file_release()\n   - Frees of->priv through kernfs_drain_open_files()\n2. While epoll still holds reference to the file and continues polling\n3. Re-enabling (echo 1 > cgroup.pressure) accesses freed of->priv\n\nepolling\t\t\tdisable/enable cgroup.pressure\nfd=open(cpu.pressure)\nwhile(1)\n...\nepoll_wait\nkernfs_fop_poll\nkernfs_get_active = true\techo 0 > cgroup.pressure\n...\t\t\t\tcgroup_file_show\n\t\t\t\tkernfs_show\n\t\t\t\t// inactive kn\n\t\t\t\tkernfs_drain_open_files\n\t\t\t\tcft->release(of);\n\t\t\t\tkfree(ctx);\n\t\t\t\t...\nkernfs_get_active = false\n\t\t\t\techo 1 > cgroup.pressure\n\t\t\t\tkernfs_show\n\t\t\t\tkernfs_activate_one(kn);\nkernfs_fop_poll\nkernfs_get_active = true\ncgroup_file_poll\npsi_trigger_poll\n// UAF\n...\nend: close(fd)\n\nTo address this issue, introduce kernfs_get_active_of() for kernfs open\nfiles to obtain active references. This function will fail if the open file\nhas been released. Replace kernfs_get_active() with kernfs_get_active_of()\nto prevent further operations on released file descriptors.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-39881"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/34d9cafd469c69ad85e6a36b4303c78382cf5c79"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3c9ba2777d6c86025e1ba4186dc5cd930e40ec5f"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7e64474aba78d240f7804f48f2d454dcca78b15f"
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    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/854baafc00c433cccbe0ab4231b77aeb9b637b77"
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    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ac5cda4fae8818cf1963317bb699f7f2f85b60af"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/10/msg00008.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-416" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2025-09-23T06:15:47Z"
  }
}