CVE-2025-37996

Virtualization service interruption via uninitialized memcache pointer

Published May 29, 2025 · Updated Aug 5, 2026

Uninitialized data use in Linux KVM 6.14 through 6.14.6 allows guest OS users to interrupt virtualization service on arm64 hosts. In user_mem_abort(), conditional initialization leaves the local memcache pointer undefined before kvm_pgtable_stage2_map() uses it for some stage-2 allocations. Reachability requires a stage-2 allocation without a permission-fault or dirty-logging transition, and the published impact is limited to availability.

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

What happened

Uninitialized data use in Linux KVM 6.14 through 6.14.6 allows guest OS users to interrupt virtualization service on arm64 hosts. In user_mem_abort(), conditional initialization leaves the local memcache pointer undefined before kvm_pgtable_stage2_map() uses it for some stage-2 allocations. Reachability requires a stage-2 allocation without a permission-fault or dirty-logging transition, and the published impact is limited to availability.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-37996
Published
May 29, 2025
Updated
Aug 5, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-908, T1499.004
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. May 29, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. 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.

  1. Affected versionversion=6.14
  2. Affected versionversion=fce886a6020734d6253c2c5a3bc285e385cc5496 <157dbc4a321f5bb6f8b6c724d12ba720a90f1a7c
  3. Affected versionversion=fce886a6020734d6253c2c5a3bc285e385cc5496 <a26d50f8a4a5049e956984797b5d0dedea4bbb18

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=6.14; version=fce886a6020734d6253c2c5a3bc285e385cc5496 <157dbc4a321f5bb6f8b6c724d12ba720a90f1a7c; version=fce886a6020734d6253c2c5a3bc285e385cc5496 <a26d50f8a4a5049e956984797b5d0dedea4bbb18

Published CVSS scores

5.5NIST NVDCVSS: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-908Use of Uninitialized Resource
T1499.004Application or System Exploitation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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