CVE-2025-38615 in Linux
Summary
by MITRE • 08/19/2025
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
fs/ntfs3: cancle set bad inode after removing name fails
The reproducer uses a file0 on a ntfs3 file system with a corrupted i_link. When renaming, the file0's inode is marked as a bad inode because the file name cannot be deleted.
The underlying bug is that make_bad_inode() is called on a live inode. In some cases it's "icache lookup finds a normal inode, d_splice_alias() is called to attach it to dentry, while another thread decides to call make_bad_inode() on it - that would evict it from icache, but we'd already found it there earlier". In some it's outright "we have an inode attached to dentry - that's how we got it in the first place; let's call make_bad_inode() on it just for shits and giggles".
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/21/2026
The vulnerability described in CVE-2025-38615 represents a critical race condition and improper inode management issue within the Linux kernel's ntfs3 file system implementation. This flaw manifests when processing file operations on NTFS3 file systems where corrupted inode link structures exist, specifically affecting the file0 file with a damaged i_link attribute. The vulnerability stems from the kernel's handling of inode states during file renaming operations, where the system attempts to mark an inode as bad while it remains actively referenced, creating a dangerous inconsistency in the inode cache management system.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the improper invocation of make_bad_inode() function on inodes that are still actively in use or referenced within the kernel's inode cache. When a file rename operation fails due to name removal issues, the system attempts to mark the affected inode as bad through make_bad_inode() call. However, this occurs in a race condition scenario where the inode may have already been retrieved from the icache by another thread, leading to a fundamental conflict between the cache lookup process and the bad inode marking procedure. The problem becomes exacerbated when d_splice_alias() is called to attach a normal inode to a dentry, while simultaneously another thread executes make_bad_inode() on the same inode, creating a scenario where the inode gets evicted from the cache despite being actively referenced.
This vulnerability directly impacts the stability and security of Linux systems utilizing NTFS3 file systems, potentially allowing for arbitrary code execution or system crashes through carefully crafted file operations. The race condition creates a window where inode state management becomes inconsistent, enabling malicious actors to exploit the timing gap between cache lookups and bad inode marking operations. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple system instability as it could potentially be leveraged to bypass security controls or escalate privileges, particularly in environments where NTFS3 file systems are actively used for data storage and access.
The operational impact of CVE-2025-38615 is significant for enterprise environments running Linux systems with NTFS3 support, as it could lead to unexpected system crashes, data corruption, or denial of service conditions. System administrators should prioritize patching affected systems and monitoring for unusual file system behavior or kernel panic messages. The vulnerability's exploitation requires specific conditions involving corrupted file system metadata and concurrent thread operations, making it less likely to occur in normal usage but still poses a serious threat to system integrity. Organizations should implement robust monitoring solutions to detect anomalous file system operations and ensure that all kernel updates are applied promptly to mitigate this risk.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-367, which addresses Time-of-Check to Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) race conditions, and demonstrates characteristics similar to CWE-362, concerning race conditions in concurrent programming. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability could be leveraged for privilege escalation or denial of service attacks, potentially mapping to techniques involving system service manipulation or resource exhaustion. The fix for this vulnerability typically involves implementing proper synchronization mechanisms around inode state changes and ensuring that make_bad_inode() is only called on inodes that are not actively referenced or cached. Security teams should consider this vulnerability as part of their broader kernel security assessment and ensure that file system implementations maintain proper consistency guarantees during concurrent operations.