Use After Free in Linux
CVE-2025-37778
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ksmbd: Fix dangling pointer in krb_authenticate krb_authenticate frees sess->user and does not set the pointer to NULL. It calls ksmbd_krb5_authenticate to reinitialise sess->user but that function may return without doing so. If that happens then smb2_sess_setup, which calls krb_authenticate, will be accessing free'd memory when it later uses sess->user.
Vulnerability class: Use-After-Free
EPSS: 0.005 (38.9th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 9.8 (Critical). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
Affected products
- Linux — versions 0626e6641f6b467447c81dd7678a69c66f7746cf, 5.15, 0
- Linux Linux_kernel — versions 6.15
- Debian Debian_linux — versions 11.0
Weakness classification (CWE)
Public proof-of-concept exploits
References
- 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
- 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 (Patch)
- 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 (Patch)
- 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 (Patch)
- 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 (Patch)
- 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 (Patch)
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 (Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2025-37778?
- CVE-2025-37778 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Linux, classified under Use After Free. CVSS score: 9.8/10. Published 2025-05-01.
- How severe is CVE-2025-37778?
- Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.8 out of 10.
- Is CVE-2025-37778 known to be exploited?
- 3 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.