Reference page — cumulative record through Wednesday, August 19, 2026 UTC. Reference pages update as the archive grows; only dated daily editions are immutable pages of record.
Linux Linux — nvme-tcp: remove tag set when second admin queue config fails
AV AC PR UI S C I A CVSS EPSS %ile KEV
L L L N U H H H 7.8 .0031 23.9 —
AFFECTED
Product Versions Fixed
Linux 104d0e2f622233477ef7e57e59e8a4c3bb062c82 – —
Linux 6.15 – 6.15.4
TIMELINE
Apr 16 Reserved by Linux
Jul 4 Published (CNA: Linux)
Jul 30 RESCORED — CVE-2025-38209 (Linux). CVSS 9.8 → 7.8 (NVD).
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
nvme-tcp: remove tag set when second admin queue config fails
Commit 104d0e2f6222 ("nvme-fabrics: reset admin connection for secure
concatenation") modified nvme_tcp_setup_ctrl() to call
nvme_tcp_configure_admin_queue() twice. The first call prepares for
DH-CHAP negotitation, and the second call is required for secure
concatenation. However, this change triggered BUG KASAN slab-use-after-
free in blk_mq_queue_tag_busy_iter(). This BUG can be recreated by
repeating the blktests test case nvme/063 a few times [1].
When the BUG happens, nvme_tcp_create_ctrl() fails in the call chain
below:
nvme_tcp_create_ctrl()
nvme_tcp_alloc_ctrl() new=true ... Alloc nvme_tcp_ctrl and admin_tag_set
nvme_tcp_setup_ctrl() new=true
nvme_tcp_configure_admin_queue() new=true ... Succeed
nvme_alloc_admin_tag_set() ... Alloc the tag set for admin_tag_set
nvme_stop_keep_alive()
nvme_tcp_teardown_admin_queue() remove=false
nvme_tcp_configure_admin_queue() new=false
nvme_tcp_alloc_admin_queue() ... Fail, but do not call nvme_remove_admin_tag_set()
nvme_uninit_ctrl()
nvme_put_ctrl() ... Free up the nvme_tcp_ctrl and admin_tag_set
The first call of nvme_tcp_configure_admin_queue() succeeds with
new=true argument. The second call fails with new=false argument. This
second call does not call nvme_remove_admin_tag_set() on failure, due to
the new=false argument. Then the admin tag set is not removed. However,
nvme_tcp_create_ctrl() assumes that nvme_tcp_setup_ctrl() would call
nvme_remove_admin_tag_set(). Then it frees up struct nvme_tcp_ctrl which
has admin_tag_set field. Later on, the timeout handler accesses the
admin_tag_set field and causes the BUG KASAN slab-use-after-free.
To not leave the admin tag set, call nvme_remove_admin_tag_set() when
the second nvme_tcp_configure_admin_queue() call fails. Do not return
from nvme_tcp_setup_ctrl() on failure. Instead, jump to "destroy_admin"
go-to label to call nvme_tcp_teardown_admin_queue() which calls
nvme_remove_admin_tag_set().
Lifecycle
Complete event history — 3 events, chronological
| Date | Event | Detail |
| April 16, 2025 | Reserved | Reserved by Linux |
| July 4, 2025 | Published | Published (CNA: Linux) |
| July 30, 2026 | RESCORED | RESCORED — CVE-2025-38209 (Linux). CVSS 9.8 → 7.8 (NVD). |
Affected
Affected products and packages — 2 rows
| Vendor | Product / Package | Ecosystem | Version introduced | Fixed |
| Linux | Linux | — | 104d0e2f622233477ef7e57e59e8a4c3bb062c82 | — |
| Linux | Linux | — | 6.15 | 6.15.4 |
About this page
This is a reference page, not a dated page of record. It assembles the complete lifecycle of CVE-2025-38209 from the CVE Program record, NVD enrichment, the CISA KEV catalog, EPSS, and OSV advisories. The box score's numbers (CVSS, EPSS, KEV status) are current as of Wednesday, August 19, 2026 UTC and are re-derived as the archive grows; only dated daily editions are immutable pages of record. The authoritative source for this identifier is cve.org.