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7.8

CVE-2025-38708: Linux Kernel DRBD: Data Corruption with Concurrent Writes

CVE-2025-38708 CVE-2025-38708
Summary

A bug in the Linux kernel's DRBD (Distributed Replicated Block Device) software could cause data corruption if multiple nodes try to write to the same sector at the same time. This issue only affects people using a specific feature called 'two-primaries' and is unlikely to occur in real-world usage. Users of DRBD should be aware of this issue, but it's not a pressing concern unless they're testing the software.

What to do

No fix is available yet. Check with your software vendor for updates.

Affected software
VendorProductAffected versions
linux linux_kernel >= 4.5, < 5.4.297
>= 5.5, < 5.10.241
>= 5.11, < 5.15.190
>= 5.16, < 6.1.149
>= 6.2, < 6.6.103
>= 6.7, < 6.12.43
>= 6.13, < 6.15.11
>= 6.16, < 6.16.2
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
debian debian_linux 11.0
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux < 0336bfe9c237476bd7c45605a36ca79c2bca62e5
4.5
Original title
drbd: add missing kref_get in handle_write_conflicts
Original description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

drbd: add missing kref_get in handle_write_conflicts

With `two-primaries` enabled, DRBD tries to detect "concurrent" writes
and handle write conflicts, so that even if you write to the same sector
simultaneously on both nodes, they end up with the identical data once
the writes are completed.

In handling "superseeded" writes, we forgot a kref_get,
resulting in a premature drbd_destroy_device and use after free,
and further to kernel crashes with symptoms.

Relevance: No one should use DRBD as a random data generator, and apparently
all users of "two-primaries" handle concurrent writes correctly on layer up.
That is cluster file systems use some distributed lock manager,
and live migration in virtualization environments stops writes on one node
before starting writes on the other node.

Which means that other than for "test cases",
this code path is never taken in real life.

FYI, in DRBD 9, things are handled differently nowadays. We still detect
"write conflicts", but no longer try to be smart about them.
We decided to disconnect hard instead: upper layers must not submit concurrent
writes. If they do, that's their fault.
nvd CVSS3.1 7.8
Vulnerability type
CWE-416 Use After Free
Published: 4 Sep 2025 · Updated: 22 Jul 2026 · First seen: 7 Mar 2026