CVE-2025-38523: cifs: Fix the smbd_response slab to allow usercopy

Published Aug 16, 2025
·
Updated

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

cifs: Fix the smbdresponse slab to allow usercopy

The handling of received data in the smbdirect client code involves using copytoiter() to copy data from the smbdreponse struct's packet trailer to a folioq buffer provided by netfslib that encapsulates a chunk of pagecache.

If, however, CONFIGHARDENEDUSERCOPY=y, this will result in the checks then performed in copytoiter() 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 'smbdresponse0000000091e24ea1' (offset 81, size 63)! ------------[ cut here ]------------ kernel BUG at mm/usercopy.c:102! ... RIP: 0010:usercopyabort+0x6c/0x80 ... Call Trace: <TASK> checkheapobject+0xe3/0x120 checkobjectsize+0x4dc/0x6d0 smbdrecv+0x77f/0xfe0 [cifs] cifsreadvfromsocket+0x276/0x8f0 [cifs] cifsreadfromsocket+0xcd/0x120 [cifs] cifsdemultiplexthread+0x7e9/0x2d50 [cifs] kthread+0x396/0x830 retfromfork+0x2b8/0x3b0 retfromforkasm+0x1a/0x30

The problem is that the smbdresponse slab's packet field isn't marked as being permitted for usercopy.

Fix this by passing parameters to kmemslabcreate() to indicate that copytoiter() is permitted from the packet region of the smbdresponse slab objects, less the header space.

Affected Software

7 affected components
Linux Kernel
CIFS CIFS Client
Linux Linux kernel>=6.12<6.12.36
Linux Linux kernel>=6.13<6.15.8
Linux Linux kernel=6.16-rc1
Linux Linux kernel=6.16-rc2
Linux Linux kernel=6.16-rc3

Event History

Aug 16, 2025
CVE Published
via MITRE·11:12 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·11:12 AM
DescriptionSeverity
Data Sourced
via Red Hat·12:03 PM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Data Sourced
via NVD·12:15 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2025-38523?

CVE-2025-38523 has been classified as a moderate severity vulnerability in the Linux kernel.

2

How do I fix CVE-2025-38523?

To mitigate CVE-2025-38523, update the Linux kernel to the latest patched version available from your distribution.

3

Which versions of the Linux kernel are affected by CVE-2025-38523?

CVE-2025-38523 affects multiple versions of the Linux kernel prior to the patch that addresses this issue.

4

What components are impacted by CVE-2025-38523?

CVE-2025-38523 impacts the CIFS (Common Internet File System) implementation within the Linux kernel.

5

Is CVE-2025-38523 exploitable in a typical environment?

CVE-2025-38523 could potentially be exploitable in environments where the smbdirect client is used in conjunction with untrusted data.

Contact

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