CVE-2025-38488Network attack vector

Kernel crash via premature asynchronous request buffer free

Published Jul 28, 2025 · Updated Aug 5, 2026

Use-after-free in the Linux SMB client allows remote attackers to crash the kernel through encrypted SMB3 responses. crypt_message frees its AEAD request buffer after an asynchronous operation returns -EINPROGRESS, before the hardware crypto driver completes access. Reachability requires an existing encrypted SMB mount and an asynchronous hardware crypto implementation; the demonstrated consequence is a kernel crash with a NULL pointer dereference.

CVSS severity9.8
Critical
EPSS probability0.65%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Use-after-free in the Linux SMB client allows remote attackers to crash the kernel through encrypted SMB3 responses. crypt_message frees its AEAD request buffer after an asynchronous operation returns -EINPROGRESS, before the hardware crypto driver completes access. Reachability requires an existing encrypted SMB mount and an asynchronous hardware crypto implementation; the demonstrated consequence is a kernel crash with a NULL pointer dereference.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-38488
Published
Jul 28, 2025
Updated
Aug 5, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-416, T1499.004
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jul 28, 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

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=0809fb86ad13b29e1d6d491364fc7ea4fb545995 <15a0a5de49507062bc3be4014a403d8cea5533de
  2. Affected versionversion=5.10.237 <5.10.241
  3. Affected versionversion=5.15.181 <5.15.190
  4. Affected versionversion=538c26d9bf70c90edc460d18c81008a4e555925a
  5. Affected versionversion=6.1.128 <6.1.147
  6. Affected versionversion=6.11.4 <6.12
  7. Affected versionversion=6.12
  8. Affected versionversion=6.6.57 <6.6.100
  9. Affected versionversion=8f14a476abba13144df5434871a7225fd29af633 <5d047b12f86cc3b9fde1171c02d9bccf4dba0632
  10. Affected versionversion=b0abcd65ec545701b8793e12bc27dc98042b151a <2a76bc2b24ed889a689fb1c9015307bf16aafb5b
  11. Affected versionversion=b0abcd65ec545701b8793e12bc27dc98042b151a <8ac90f6824fc44d2e55a82503ddfc95defb19ae0
  12. Affected versionversion=b0abcd65ec545701b8793e12bc27dc98042b151a <b220bed63330c0e1733dc06ea8e75d5b9962b6b6
  13. Affected versionversion=bce966530fd5542bbb422cb45ecb775f7a1a6bc3 <9a1d3e8d40f151c2d5a5f40c410e6e433f62f438
  14. Affected versionversion=ef51c0d544b1518b35364480317ab6d3468f205d <6550b2bef095d0dd2d2c8390d2ea4c3837028833

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=0809fb86ad13b29e1d6d491364fc7ea4fb545995 <15a0a5de49507062bc3be4014a403d8cea5533de; version=5.10.237 <5.10.241; version=5.15.181 <5.15.190; version=538c26d9bf70c90edc460d18c81008a4e555925a; version=6.1.128 <6.1.147; version=6.11.4 <6.12; version=6.12; version=6.6.57 <6.6.100; version=8f14a476abba13144df5434871a7225fd29af633 <5d047b12f86cc3b9fde1171c02d9bccf4dba0632; version=b0abcd65ec545701b8793e12bc27dc98042b151a <2a76bc2b24ed889a689fb1c9015307bf16aafb5b; version=b0abcd65ec545701b8793e12bc27dc98042b151a <8ac90f6824fc44d2e55a82503ddfc95defb19ae0; version=b0abcd65ec545701b8793e12bc27dc98042b151a <b220bed63330c0e1733dc06ea8e75d5b9962b6b6; version=bce966530fd5542bbb422cb45ecb775f7a1a6bc3 <9a1d3e8d40f151c2d5a5f40c410e6e433f62f438; version=ef51c0d544b1518b35364480317ab6d3468f205d <6550b2bef095d0dd2d2c8390d2ea4c3837028833

Published CVSS scores

7.0Amazon LinuxCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
7.8NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
9.8LinuxCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-416Use After Free
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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