CVE-2025-38523
MediumIn the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: cifs: Fix the smbd_response slab to allow usercopy The handling of received data in the smbdirect client code involves using copy_to_iter() to copy data from the smbd_reponse struct's packet trailer to a folioq buffer provided by netfslib that encapsulates a chunk of pagecache. If, however, CONFIG_HARDENED_USERCOPY=y, this will result in the checks then performed in copy_to_iter() oopsing with something like the following: CIFS: Attempting to mount //172.31.9.1/test CIFS: VFS: RDMA transport established usercopy: Kernel memory exposure attempt detected from SLUB object 'smbd_response_0000000091e24ea1' (offset 81, size 63)! ------------[ cut here ]------------ kernel BUG at mm/usercopy.c:102! ... RIP: 0010:usercopy_abort+0x6c/0x80 ... Call Trace: <TASK> __check_heap_object+0xe3/0x120 __check_object_size+0x4dc/0x6d0 smbd_recv+0x77f/0xfe0 [cifs] cifs_readv_from_socket+0x276/0x8f0 [cifs] cifs_read_from_socket+0xcd/0x120 [cifs] cifs_demultiplex_thread+0x7e9/0x2d50 [cifs] kthread+0x396/0x830 ret_from_fork+0x2b8/0x3b0 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 The problem is that the smbd_response slab's packet field isn't marked as being permitted for usercopy. Fix this by passing parameters to kmem_slab_create() to indicate that copy_to_iter() is permitted from the packet region of the smbd_response slab objects, less the header space.
CVSS 3.1 score
5.5
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness type
CWE-1188CVE-2025-38523 is classified as CWE-1188
See CWE-1188 on MITRE CWE for full details on this weakness type.
Affected versions
Linux kernel versions
6.12
and later are affected. Fixed in
6.12.36,
6.15.8,
6.16
and their respective stable series.
References
The following references provide additional information about CVE-2025-38523 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.
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PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/43e7e284fc77b710d899569360ea46fa3374ae22
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PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/87dcc7e33fc3dcb8ed32333cec016528b5bb6ce4
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PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f0dd353d47f7051afa98c6c60c7486831eb1a410
Frequently asked questions
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What is CVE-2025-38523?
CVE-2025-38523 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10 . It affects Linux kernel versions from 6.12 onward and has been patched in 6.12.36, 6.15.8 and 6.16. CVE-2025-38523 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
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What is the CVSS score for CVE-2025-38523?
CVE-2025-38523 has a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, rated Medium severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H. -
Is there a patch available for CVE-2025-38523?
Yes — CVE-2025-38523 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.12.36, 6.15.8 and 6.16. If you are running Linux kernel 6.12 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
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Is CVE-2025-38523 actively exploited?
No — CVE-2025-38523 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.