Kernel memory corruption via ext4 split miscalculation
Published May 1, 2025 · Updated Aug 5, 2026
Use-after-free in the Linux kernel ext4 directory code allows local users to corrupt kernel memory through crafted file names. The do_split loop can decrement its index to -1 while dividing a directory block, causing ext4_insert_dentry to write beyond the selected entries. Reachability requires local filesystem operations that fill one ext4 directory with many long names; the resulting memory corruption can crash the kernel.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in the Linux kernel ext4 directory code allows local users to corrupt kernel memory through crafted file names. The do_split loop can decrement its index to -1 while dividing a directory block, causing ext4_insert_dentry to write beyond the selected entries. Reachability requires local filesystem operations that fill one ext4 directory with many long names; the resulting memory corruption can crash the kernel.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-23150
- Published
- May 1, 2025
- Updated
- Aug 5, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-193
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 1, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 5, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=059b1480105478c5f68cf664301545b8cad6a7cf
- Affected versionversion=4.14.195 <4.15
- Affected versionversion=4.19.142 <4.20
- Affected versionversion=4.4.234 <4.5
- Affected versionversion=4.9.234 <4.10
- Affected versionversion=539ae3e03875dacaa9c388aff141ccbb4ef4ecb5
- Affected versionversion=5.4.61 <5.4.293
- Affected versionversion=5.7.18 <5.8
- Affected versionversion=5.8.4 <5.9
- Affected versionversion=5872331b3d91820e14716632ebb56b1399b34fe1 <16d9067f00e3a7d1df7c3aa9c20d214923d27e10
- Affected versionversion=5872331b3d91820e14716632ebb56b1399b34fe1 <17df39f455f1289319d4d09e4826aa46852ffd17
- Affected versionversion=5872331b3d91820e14716632ebb56b1399b34fe1 <2883e9e74f73f9265e5f8d1aaaa89034b308e433
- Affected versionversion=5872331b3d91820e14716632ebb56b1399b34fe1 <2eeb1085bf7bd5c7ba796ca4119925fa5d336a3f
- Affected versionversion=5872331b3d91820e14716632ebb56b1399b34fe1 <35d0aa6db9d93307085871ceab8a729594a98162
- Affected versionversion=5872331b3d91820e14716632ebb56b1399b34fe1 <515c34cff899eb5dae6aa7eee01c1295b07d81af
- Affected versionversion=5872331b3d91820e14716632ebb56b1399b34fe1 <94824ac9a8aaf2fb3c54b4bdde842db80ffa555d
- Affected versionversion=5872331b3d91820e14716632ebb56b1399b34fe1 <ab0cc5c25552ae0d20eae94b40a93be11b080fc5
- Affected versionversion=5.9
- Affected versionversion=88e79f7a9841278fa8ff7ff6178bad12da002ffc
- Affected versionversion=b3ddf6ba5e28a57729fff1605ae08e21be5c92e3
- Affected versionversion=e50fe43e3062e18846e99d9646b9c07b097eb1ed
- Affected versionversion=ea54176e5821936d109bb45dc2c19bd53559e735 <b96bd2c3db26ad0daec5b78c85c098b53900e2e1
- Affected versionversion=fbbfd55a40d5d0806b59ee0403c75d5ac517533f
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
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