CVE-2025-38523
7.5 · HIGHOverview
CVE-2025-38523 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting linux linux_kernel. It was published on August 16, 2025 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH).
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5, rated HIGH. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
Technical Description
In 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_
Remediation
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from linux. Update linux_kernel to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| linux | linux_kernel | >= 6.12, < 6.12.36 | Affected |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2025-38523?
CVE-2025-38523 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting linux linux_kernel. It was published on August 16, 2025 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH).
How severe is CVE-2025-38523?
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5, rated HIGH. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
How do I fix or remediate CVE-2025-38523?
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from linux. Update linux_kernel to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2025-38523?
CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2025-38523 across your infrastructure using autonomous pentesting, DAST scanning, and HackBrowser. The platform continuously monitors for known vulnerabilities and provides actionable remediation guidance prioritized by real-world exploitability.
How CyberStrike Helps
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