{
  "affected": [
    {
      "ranges": [
        {
          "events": [
            {
              "introduced": "93a0fc48948107e0cc34e1de22c3cb363a8f2783"
            },
            {
              "fixed": "51720dee3a61ebace36c3dcdd0b4a488e0970f29"
            },
            {
              "fixed": "38224c472a038fa9ccd4085511dd9f3d6119dbf9"
            }
          ],
          "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-2025-38378.json"
  },
  "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-\u003einactivity_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-\u003einactivity_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]  \u003cIRQ\u003e\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]  \u003c/IRQ\u003e\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-\u003ebacklight_dev before calling timer_delete_sync.",
  "id": "CVE-2025-38378",
  "modified": "2026-04-01T23:10:10.173703335Z",
  "published": "2025-07-25T12:53:20.144Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/38224c472a038fa9ccd4085511dd9f3d6119dbf9"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/51720dee3a61ebace36c3dcdd0b4a488e0970f29"
    },
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2025/38xxx/CVE-2025-38378.json"
    },
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-38378"
    },
    {
      "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 slab use-after-free bug in appletb_kbd_probe"
}