{
  "affected": [
    {
      "ranges": [
        {
          "events": [
            {
              "introduced": "93a0fc48948107e0cc34e1de22c3cb363a8f2783"
            },
            {
              "fixed": "751d5437112a3f387de4ef6d2d1c131068ff7627"
            },
            {
              "fixed": "4540e41e753a7d69ecd3f5bad51fe620205c3a18"
            }
          ],
          "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
          "type": "GIT"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "cna_assigner": "Linux",
    "osv_generated_from": "https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2025/38xxx/CVE-2025-38235.json"
  },
  "details": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nHID: appletb-kbd: fix \"appletb_backlight\" backlight device reference counting\n\nDuring appletb_kbd_probe, probe attempts to get the backlight device\nby name. When this happens backlight_device_get_by_name looks for a\ndevice in the backlight class which has name \"appletb_backlight\" and\nupon finding a match it increments the reference count for the device\nand returns it to the caller. However this reference is never released\nleading to a reference leak.\n\nFix this by decrementing the backlight device reference count on removal\nvia put_device and on probe failure.",
  "id": "CVE-2025-38235",
  "modified": "2026-04-01T23:10:05.700128253Z",
  "published": "2025-07-06T09:11:14.930Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4540e41e753a7d69ecd3f5bad51fe620205c3a18"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/751d5437112a3f387de4ef6d2d1c131068ff7627"
    },
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2025/38xxx/CVE-2025-38235.json"
    },
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-38235"
    },
    {
      "type": "PACKAGE",
      "url": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.7.3",
  "summary": "HID: appletb-kbd: fix \"appletb_backlight\" backlight device reference counting"
}