CVE-2025-37905: Linux kernel · firmware: arm_scmi: Balance device refcount when destroying devices
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.5 Medium · fixed in 5.15.0-1088.95~20.04.1 : update Linux kernel when convenient.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 11% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 5.15.0-1088.95~20.04.1, 5.15.0-1094.103~20.04.1, 5.15.0-1087.96~20.04.2 +59
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 20 May 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.
What to do
Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.
Patches and advisories
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7649-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7650-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7654-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7654-2 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7654-3 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7655-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7649-2 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7654-4 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7665-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7665-2 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7654-5 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7686-1 (opens in a new tab)
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
Ubuntu 25.10linux-azure-fdepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure-fde?arch=source&distro=questingOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSlinuxpkg:deb/ubuntu/linux?arch=source&distro=nobleOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSlinux-awspkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws?arch=source&distro=nobleOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSlinux-aws-6.14pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws-6.14?arch=source&distro=nobleOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSlinux-azurepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure?arch=source&distro=nobleOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSlinux-azure-6.11pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure-6.11?arch=source&distro=nobleOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: firmware: arm_scmi: Balance device refcount when destroying devices Using device_find_child() to lookup the proper SCMI device to destroy causes an unbalance in device refcount, since device_find_child() calls an implicit get_device(): this, in turns, inhibits the call of the provided release methods upon devices destruction. As a consequence, one of the structures that is not freed properly upon destruction is the internal struct device_private dev->p populated by the drivers subsystem core. KMemleak detects this situation since loading/unloding some SCMI driver causes related devices to be created/destroyed without calling any device_release method. unreferenced object 0xffff00000f583800 (size 512): comm "insmod", pid 227, jiffies 4294912190 hex dump (first 32 bytes): 00 00 00 00 ad 4e ad de ff ff ff ff 00 00 00 00 .....N.......... ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff 60 36 1d 8a 00 80 ff ff ........`6...... backtrace (crc 114e2eed): kmemleak_alloc+0xbc/0xd8 __kmalloc_cache_noprof+0x2dc/0x398 device_add+0x954/0x12d0 device_register+0x28/0x40 __scmi_device_create.part.0+0x1bc/0x380 scmi_device_create+0x2d0/0x390 scmi_create_protocol_devices+0x74/0xf8 scmi_device_request_notifier+0x1f8/0x2a8 notifier_call_chain+0x110/0x3b0 blocking_notifier_call_chain+0x70/0xb0 scmi_driver_register+0x350/0x7f0 0xffff80000a3b3038 do_one_initcall+0x12c/0x730 do_init_module+0x1dc/0x640 load_module+0x4b20/0x5b70 init_module_from_file+0xec/0x158 $ ./scripts/faddr2line ./vmlinux device_add+0x954/0x12d0 device_add+0x954/0x12d0: kmalloc_noprof at include/linux/slab.h:901 (inlined by) kzalloc_noprof at include/linux/slab.h:1037 (inlined by) device_private_init at drivers/base/core.c:3510 (inlined by) device_add at drivers/base/core.c:3561 Balance device refcount by issuing a put_device() on devices found via device_find_child().
References
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2025-37905 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-37905 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/linus/9ca67840c0ddf3f39407339624cef824a4f27599 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/2fbf6c9695ad9f05e7e5c166bf43fac7cb3276b3 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/8a8a3547d5c4960da053df49c75bf623827a25da (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/91ff1e9652fb9beb0174267d6bb38243dff211bb (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/969d8beaa2e374387bf9aa5602ef84fc50bb48d8 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/9ca67840c0ddf3f39407339624cef824a4f27599 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/ff4273d47da81b95ed9396110bcbd1b7b7470fe8 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7649-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7650-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7654-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7654-2 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7654-3 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7655-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7649-2 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7654-4 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7665-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7665-2 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7654-5 (opens in a new tab)