CVE-2025-37958

Kernel crash via invalid PMD migration dereference

Published May 20, 2025 · Updated May 11, 2026

Improper PMD entry handling in Linux 4.14 and later allows local users to crash the kernel during transparent huge-page migration. The split_huge_pmd_locked path dereferences a PMD migration entry during a concurrent deferred split scan without first rejecting that entry, producing an invalid address access. Triggering the fault requires local low-privileged access and a race between transparent huge-page migration and deferred splitting; the documented consequence is a kernel page fault and service interruption.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.21%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Improper PMD entry handling in Linux 4.14 and later allows local users to crash the kernel during transparent huge-page migration. The split_huge_pmd_locked path dereferences a PMD migration entry during a concurrent deferred split scan without first rejecting that entry, producing an invalid address access. Triggering the fault requires local low-privileged access and a race between transparent huge-page migration and deferred splitting; the documented consequence is a kernel page fault and service interruption.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-37958
Published
May 20, 2025
Updated
May 11, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-476, T1499.004
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. May 20, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. May 11, 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.

  1. Affected versionversion=4.14
  2. Affected versionversion=84c3fc4e9c563d8fb91cfdf5948da48fe1af34d3 <22f6368768340260e862f35151d2e1c55cb1dc75
  3. Affected versionversion=84c3fc4e9c563d8fb91cfdf5948da48fe1af34d3 <3977946f61cdba87b6b5aaf7d7094e96089583a5
  4. Affected versionversion=84c3fc4e9c563d8fb91cfdf5948da48fe1af34d3 <6166c3cf405441f7147b322980144feb3cefc617
  5. Affected versionversion=84c3fc4e9c563d8fb91cfdf5948da48fe1af34d3 <753f142f7ff7d2223a47105b61e1efd91587d711
  6. Affected versionversion=84c3fc4e9c563d8fb91cfdf5948da48fe1af34d3 <9468afbda3fbfcec21ac8132364dff3dab945faf
  7. Affected versionversion=84c3fc4e9c563d8fb91cfdf5948da48fe1af34d3 <be6e843fc51a584672dfd9c4a6a24c8cb81d5fb7
  8. Affected versionversion=84c3fc4e9c563d8fb91cfdf5948da48fe1af34d3 <ef5706bed97e240b4abf4233ceb03da7336bc775
  9. Affected versionversion=84c3fc4e9c563d8fb91cfdf5948da48fe1af34d3 <fbab262b0c8226c697af1851a424896ed47dedcc

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=4.14; version=84c3fc4e9c563d8fb91cfdf5948da48fe1af34d3 <22f6368768340260e862f35151d2e1c55cb1dc75; version=84c3fc4e9c563d8fb91cfdf5948da48fe1af34d3 <3977946f61cdba87b6b5aaf7d7094e96089583a5; version=84c3fc4e9c563d8fb91cfdf5948da48fe1af34d3 <6166c3cf405441f7147b322980144feb3cefc617; version=84c3fc4e9c563d8fb91cfdf5948da48fe1af34d3 <753f142f7ff7d2223a47105b61e1efd91587d711; version=84c3fc4e9c563d8fb91cfdf5948da48fe1af34d3 <9468afbda3fbfcec21ac8132364dff3dab945faf; version=84c3fc4e9c563d8fb91cfdf5948da48fe1af34d3 <be6e843fc51a584672dfd9c4a6a24c8cb81d5fb7; version=84c3fc4e9c563d8fb91cfdf5948da48fe1af34d3 <ef5706bed97e240b4abf4233ceb03da7336bc775; version=84c3fc4e9c563d8fb91cfdf5948da48fe1af34d3 <fbab262b0c8226c697af1851a424896ed47dedcc

Published CVSS scores

5.5UbuntuCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-476NULL Pointer Dereference
T1499.004Endpoint Denial of Service: Application or System Exploitation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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