In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ax25: Remove broken autobind Binding AX25 socket by using the autobind feature leads to memory leaks in ax25_connect() and also refcount leaks in ax25_release()
Why It Matters
Analysis dossierWhy It Matters
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ax25: Remove broken autobind Binding AX25 socket by using the autobind feature leads to memory leaks in ax25_connect() and also refcount leaks in ax25_release(). Memory leak was detected with kmemleak: ================================================================ unreferenced object 0xffff8880253cd680 (size 96): backtrace: __kmalloc_node_track_caller_noprof (./include/linux/kmemleak.h:43) kmemdup_noprof (mm/util.c:136) ax25_rt_autobind (net/ax25/ax25_route.c:428) ax25_connect (net/ax25/af_ax25.c:1282) __sys_connect_file (net/socket.c:2045) __sys_connect (net/socket.c:2064) __x64_sys_connect (net/socket.c:2067) do_syscall_64 (arch/x86/entry/common.c:52 arch/x86/entry/common.c:83) entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe (arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:130) ================================================================ When socket is bound, refcounts must be incremented the way it is done in ax25_bind() and ax25_setsockopt() (SO_BINDTODEVICE). In case of autobind, the refcounts are not incremented. This bug leads to the following issue reported by Syzkaller: ================================================================ ax25_connect(): syz-executor318 uses autobind, please contact jreuter@yaina.de ------------[ cut here ]------------ refcount_t: decrement hit 0; leaking memory. WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 5317 at lib/refcount.c:31 refcount_warn_saturate+0xfa/0x1d0 lib/refcount.c:31 Modules linked in: CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 5317 Comm: syz-executor318 Not tainted 6.14.0-rc4-syzkaller-00278-gece144f151ac #0 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS 1.16.3-debian-1.16.3-2~bpo12+1 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:refcount_warn_saturate+0xfa/0x1d0 lib/refcount.c:31 ... Call Trace: __refcount_dec include/linux/refcount.h:336 [inline] refcount_dec include/linux/refcount.h:351 [inline] ref_tracker_free+0x6af/0x7e0 lib/ref_tracker.c:236 netdev_tracker_free include/linux/netdevice.h:4302 [inline] netdev_put include/linux/netdevice.h:4319 [inline] ax25_release+0x368/0x960 net/ax25/af_ax25.c:1080 __sock_release net/socket.c:647 [inline] sock_close+0xbc/0x240 net/socket.c:1398 __fput+0x3e9/0x9f0 fs/file_table.c:464 __do_sys_close fs/open.c:1580 [inline] __se_sys_close fs/open.c:1565 [inline] __x64_sys_close+0x7f/0x110 fs/open.c:1565 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:52 [inline] do_syscall_64+0xf3/0x230 arch/x86/entry/common.c:83 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f ... ================================================================ Considering the issues above and the comments left in the code that say: "check if we can remove this feature. It is broken."; "autobinding in this may or may not work"; - it is better to completely remove this feature than to fix it because it is broken and leads to various kinds of memory bugs. Now calling connect() without first binding socket will result in an error (-EINVAL). Userspace software that relies on the autobind feature might get broken. However, this feature does not seem widely used with this specific driver as it was not reliable at any point of time, and it is already broken anyway. E.g. ax25-tools and ax25-apps packages for popular distributions do not use the autobind feature for AF_AX25. Found by Linux Verification Center (linuxtesting.org) with Syzkaller.
High
Unknown
Unknown
Risk basis: SOC ecosystem technology relevance; HIGH severity; No confirmed exploitation signal in current enrichment; Source severity; no confirmed exploitation signal
Affected Products & Remediation
1 source-backed product- linux linux kernel · >= 2.6.13 < 6.14.2; 2.6.12 · NVD CPE · Source
Vendor or catalog guidance (source)
Not provided by source
Known exploitation (source facts)
Only what a source states. Unknown means no source has said either way; it is not "not exploited".
- CISA KEV
- Unknown
- Exploited (source statement)
- Unknown
- Publicly disclosed (source)
- Unknown
Suggested hunting (rule-based inference)
SecOps Signal recommendation (rule-based inference). These steps are hunting hypotheses from the vulnerability class; they do not state or imply that exploitation occurred here or anywhere.
Matched local-access-review (CVSS AV:L, CVSS PR:L)
Exposure
- Identify hosts reporting this CVE, prioritising shared or multi-user systems.Telemetry: DeviceTvmSoftwareVulnerabilities · A local, low-privilege vector matters most where untrusted users can run code. · Rule local-access-review
Exploitation evidence
- Review source-stated impact and relevant application errors on affected hosts; local access alone does not establish privilege escalation.Telemetry: DeviceProcessEvents · The vector establishes local access and low privileges only. Confirm the impact from the advisory before choosing a specific hunt. · Rule local-access-review
Response
- Confirm the source-stated update on affected hosts.Telemetry: DeviceTvmSoftwareVulnerabilities · Host inventory can verify remediation. · Rule local-access-review
CISA KEV Record
CISA KEV status was not determined for this record.
Change History & Source Data
— No recorded material change
- CNA / source
- 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
- Record status · verification
- UPDATED · NVD API
- CPE
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*, cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:2.6.12:-:*:*:*:*:*:*, cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:2.6.12:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:*, cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:2.6.12:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:*, cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:2.6.12:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:*, cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:2.6.12:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:*
Evidence & Provenance
Linked by the query's stored exact CVE association. Review required tables and validation status before use.
DeviceTvmSoftwareVulnerabilities| where CveId == "CVE-2025-22109"| project DeviceId, DeviceName, OSPlatform, OSVersion, SoftwareVendor, SoftwareName, SoftwareVersion, CveId, VulnerabilitySeverityLevel, RecommendedSecurityUpdate, RecommendedSecurityUpdateId| sort by VulnerabilitySeverityLevel desc