Vulnerability in Linux

CVE-2025-38711

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: smb/server: avoid deadlock when linking with ReplaceIfExists If smb2_create_link() is called with ReplaceIfExists set and the name does exist then a deadlock will happen. ksmbd_vfs_kern_path_locked() will return with success and the parent directory will be locked. ksmbd_vfs_remove_file() will then remove the file. ksmbd_vfs_link() will then be called while the parent is still locked. It will try to lock the same parent and will deadlock. This patch moves the ksmbd_vfs_kern_path_unlock() call to *before* ksmbd_vfs_link() and then simplifies the code, removing the file_present flag variable.

EPSS: 0.001 (1.5th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 5.5 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

Public proof-of-concept exploits

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2025-38711?
CVE-2025-38711 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux, classified under Improper Locking. CVSS score: 5.5/10. Published 2025-09-04.
How severe is CVE-2025-38711?
Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 5.5 out of 10.
Is CVE-2025-38711 known to be exploited?
1 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.