CVE-2025-38378: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-j6m8-x4v6-3fgh
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CVSS 7.8
CWE-416
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2025-38378 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 any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer..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-2025-38378 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2025-38378
GHSA Identifier GHSA-j6m8-x4v6-3fgh
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-2025-38378

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-2025-38378, 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: HID: appletb-kbd: fix slab use-after-free bug in appletb_kbd_probe In probe appletb_kbd_probe() a "struct appletb_kbd *kbd" is allocated via devm_kzalloc() to store touch bar keyboard related data. Later on if backlight_device_get_by_name() finds a backlight device with name "appletb_backlight" a timer (kbd->inactivity_timer) is setup with appletb_inactivity_timer() and the timer is armed to run after appletb_tb_dim_timeout (60) seconds. A use-after-free is triggered when failure occurs after the timer is armed. This ultimately means probe failure occurs and as a result the "struct appletb_kbd *kbd" which is device managed memory is freed. After 60 seconds the timer will have expired and __run_timers will attempt to access the timer (kbd->inactivity_timer) however the kdb structure has been freed causing a use-after free. [ 71.636938] ================================================================== [ 71.637915] BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in __run_timers+0x7ad/0x890 [ 71.637915] Write of size 8 at addr ffff8881178c5958 by task swapper/1/0 [ 71.637915] [ 71.637915] CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 0 Comm: swapper/1 Not tainted 6.16.0-rc2-00318-g739a6c93cc75-dirty #12 PREEMPT(voluntary) [ 71.637915] Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.16.2-debian-1.16.2-1 04/01/2014 [ 71.637915] Call Trace: [ 71.637915] <IRQ> [ 71.637915] dump_stack_lvl+0x53/0x70 [ 71.637915] print_report+0xce/0x670 [ 71.637915] ? __run_timers+0x7ad/0x890 [ 71.637915] kasan_report+0xce/0x100 [ 71.637915] ? __run_timers+0x7ad/0x890 [ 71.637915] __run_timers+0x7ad/0x890 [ 71.637915] ? __pfx___run_timers+0x10/0x10 [ 71.637915] ? update_process_times+0xfc/0x190 [ 71.637915] ? __pfx_update_process_times+0x10/0x10 [ 71.637915] ? _raw_spin_lock_irq+0x80/0xe0 [ 71.637915] ? _raw_spin_lock_irq+0x80/0xe0 [ 71.637915] ? __pfx__raw_spin_lock_irq+0x10/0x10 [ 71.637915] run_timer_softirq+0x141/0x240 [ 71.637915] ? __pfx_run_timer_softirq+0x10/0x10 [ 71.637915] ? __pfx___hrtimer_run_queues+0x10/0x10 [ 71.637915] ? kvm_clock_get_cycles+0x18/0x30 [ 71.637915] ? ktime_get+0x60/0x140 [ 71.637915] handle_softirqs+0x1b8/0x5c0 [ 71.637915] ? __pfx_handle_softirqs+0x10/0x10 [ 71.637915] irq_exit_rcu+0xaf/0xe0 [ 71.637915] sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt+0x6c/0x80 [ 71.637915] </IRQ> [ 71.637915] [ 71.637915] Allocated by task 39: [ 71.637915] kasan_save_stack+0x33/0x60 [ 71.637915] kasan_save_track+0x14/0x30 [ 71.637915] __kasan_kmalloc+0x8f/0xa0 [ 71.637915] __kmalloc_node_track_caller_noprof+0x195/0x420 [ 71.637915] devm_kmalloc+0x74/0x1e0 [ 71.637915] appletb_kbd_probe+0x37/0x3c0 [ 71.637915] hid_device_probe+0x2d1/0x680 [ 71.637915] really_probe+0x1c3/0x690 [ 71.637915] __driver_probe_device+0x247/0x300 [ 71.637915] driver_probe_device+0x49/0x210 [...] [ 71.637915] [ 71.637915] Freed by task 39: [ 71.637915] kasan_save_stack+0x33/0x60 [ 71.637915] kasan_save_track+0x14/0x30 [ 71.637915] kasan_save_free_info+0x3b/0x60 [ 71.637915] __kasan_slab_free+0x37/0x50 [ 71.637915] kfree+0xcf/0x360 [ 71.637915] devres_release_group+0x1f8/0x3c0 [ 71.637915] hid_device_probe+0x315/0x680 [ 71.637915] really_probe+0x1c3/0x690 [ 71.637915] __driver_probe_device+0x247/0x300 [ 71.637915] driver_probe_device+0x49/0x210 [...] The root cause of the issue is that the timer is not disarmed on failure paths leading to it remaining active and accessing freed memory. To fix this call timer_delete_sync() to deactivate the timer. Another small issue is that timer_delete_sync is called unconditionally in appletb_kbd_remove(), fix this by checking for a valid kbd->backlight_dev before calling timer_delete_sync.

References

NVD — CVE-2025-38378 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-38378
git.kernel.org/stable/c/38224c472a... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/38224c472a038fa9ccd4085511dd9f3d6119dbf9
git.kernel.org/stable/c/51720dee3a... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/51720dee3a61ebace36c3dcdd0b4a488e0970f29

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-38378?
CVE-2025-38378 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-2025-38378?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2025-38378?
CVE-2025-38378 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-2025-38378?
CVE-2025-38378 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-2025-38378?
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-j6m8-x4v6-3fgh",
  "modified" : "2025-11-19T21:31:16Z",
  "published" : "2025-07-25T15:30:51Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2025-38378" ],
  "details" : "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nHID: appletb-kbd: fix slab use-after-free bug in appletb_kbd_probe\n\nIn probe appletb_kbd_probe() a \"struct appletb_kbd *kbd\" is allocated\nvia devm_kzalloc() to store touch bar keyboard related data.\nLater on if backlight_device_get_by_name() finds a backlight device\nwith name \"appletb_backlight\" a timer (kbd->inactivity_timer) is setup\nwith appletb_inactivity_timer() and the timer is armed to run after\nappletb_tb_dim_timeout (60) seconds.\n\nA use-after-free is triggered when failure occurs after the timer is\narmed. This ultimately means probe failure occurs and as a result the\n\"struct appletb_kbd *kbd\" which is device managed memory is freed.\nAfter 60 seconds the timer will have expired and __run_timers will\nattempt to access the timer (kbd->inactivity_timer) however the kdb\nstructure has been freed causing a use-after free.\n\n[   71.636938] ==================================================================\n[   71.637915] BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in __run_timers+0x7ad/0x890\n[   71.637915] Write of size 8 at addr ffff8881178c5958 by task swapper/1/0\n[   71.637915]\n[   71.637915] CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 0 Comm: swapper/1 Not tainted 6.16.0-rc2-00318-g739a6c93cc75-dirty #12 PREEMPT(voluntary)\n[   71.637915] Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.16.2-debian-1.16.2-1 04/01/2014\n[   71.637915] Call Trace:\n[   71.637915]  <IRQ>\n[   71.637915]  dump_stack_lvl+0x53/0x70\n[   71.637915]  print_report+0xce/0x670\n[   71.637915]  ? __run_timers+0x7ad/0x890\n[   71.637915]  kasan_report+0xce/0x100\n[   71.637915]  ? __run_timers+0x7ad/0x890\n[   71.637915]  __run_timers+0x7ad/0x890\n[   71.637915]  ? __pfx___run_timers+0x10/0x10\n[   71.637915]  ? update_process_times+0xfc/0x190\n[   71.637915]  ? __pfx_update_process_times+0x10/0x10\n[   71.637915]  ? _raw_spin_lock_irq+0x80/0xe0\n[   71.637915]  ? _raw_spin_lock_irq+0x80/0xe0\n[   71.637915]  ? __pfx__raw_spin_lock_irq+0x10/0x10\n[   71.637915]  run_timer_softirq+0x141/0x240\n[   71.637915]  ? __pfx_run_timer_softirq+0x10/0x10\n[   71.637915]  ? __pfx___hrtimer_run_queues+0x10/0x10\n[   71.637915]  ? kvm_clock_get_cycles+0x18/0x30\n[   71.637915]  ? ktime_get+0x60/0x140\n[   71.637915]  handle_softirqs+0x1b8/0x5c0\n[   71.637915]  ? __pfx_handle_softirqs+0x10/0x10\n[   71.637915]  irq_exit_rcu+0xaf/0xe0\n[   71.637915]  sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt+0x6c/0x80\n[   71.637915]  </IRQ>\n[   71.637915]\n[   71.637915] Allocated by task 39:\n[   71.637915]  kasan_save_stack+0x33/0x60\n[   71.637915]  kasan_save_track+0x14/0x30\n[   71.637915]  __kasan_kmalloc+0x8f/0xa0\n[   71.637915]  __kmalloc_node_track_caller_noprof+0x195/0x420\n[   71.637915]  devm_kmalloc+0x74/0x1e0\n[   71.637915]  appletb_kbd_probe+0x37/0x3c0\n[   71.637915]  hid_device_probe+0x2d1/0x680\n[   71.637915]  really_probe+0x1c3/0x690\n[   71.637915]  __driver_probe_device+0x247/0x300\n[   71.637915]  driver_probe_device+0x49/0x210\n[...]\n[   71.637915]\n[   71.637915] Freed by task 39:\n[   71.637915]  kasan_save_stack+0x33/0x60\n[   71.637915]  kasan_save_track+0x14/0x30\n[   71.637915]  kasan_save_free_info+0x3b/0x60\n[   71.637915]  __kasan_slab_free+0x37/0x50\n[   71.637915]  kfree+0xcf/0x360\n[   71.637915]  devres_release_group+0x1f8/0x3c0\n[   71.637915]  hid_device_probe+0x315/0x680\n[   71.637915]  really_probe+0x1c3/0x690\n[   71.637915]  __driver_probe_device+0x247/0x300\n[   71.637915]  driver_probe_device+0x49/0x210\n[...]\n\nThe root cause of the issue is that the timer is not disarmed\non failure paths leading to it remaining active and accessing\nfreed memory. To fix this call timer_delete_sync() to deactivate\nthe timer.\n\nAnother small issue is that timer_delete_sync is called\nunconditionally in appletb_kbd_remove(), fix this by checking\nfor a valid kbd->backlight_dev before calling timer_delete_sync.",
  "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-2025-38378"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/38224c472a038fa9ccd4085511dd9f3d6119dbf9"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/51720dee3a61ebace36c3dcdd0b4a488e0970f29"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-416" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2025-07-25T13:15:26Z"
  }
}