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NVD / CVE Program· CNA Linux

CVE-2025-37996: KVM: arm64: Fix uninitialized memcache pointer in user_mem_abort()

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 22/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.16% (FIRST EPSS).
  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: Linux Linux 157dbc4a321f5bb6f8b6c724d12ba720a90f1a7c, a26d50f8a4a5049e956984797b5d0dedea4bbb18.
  • Severity is disputed: the assigning authority (CNA) scores it 8.8, NVD 5.5.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to Linux Linux 157dbc4a321f5bb6f8b6c724d12ba720a90f1a7c, a26d50f8a4a5049e956984797b5d0dedea4bbb18 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: arm64: Fix uninitialized memcache pointer in user_mem_abort() Commit fce886a60207 ("KVM: arm64: Plumb the pKVM MMU in KVM") made the initialization of the local memcache variable in user_mem_abort() conditional, leaving a codepath where it is used uninitialized via kvm_pgtable_stage2_map(). This can fail on any path that requires a stage-2 allocation without transition via a permission fault or dirty logging. Fix this by making sure that memcache is always valid.

MediumCVSS 5.5 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
May 29, 2025
Updated
Aug 5, 2026
EPSS
0.1% · 6th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

22

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
22 / 40 · 5.5 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.1%

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
5.5
CNA · Linux
8.8
3.3 point gap

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

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  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

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When you'll hear from us

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  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
linuxlinux kernel

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • linux linux kernel6.14 and later · before 6.14.7
  • linux linux kernel6.15

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (Linux). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Linux Linux

    • 6.14affected
    • fce886a6020734d6253c2c5a3bc285e385cc5496 and later · before a26d50f8a4a5049e956984797b5d0dedea4bbb18affected · git
    • fce886a6020734d6253c2c5a3bc285e385cc5496 and later · before 157dbc4a321f5bb6f8b6c724d12ba720a90f1a7caffected · git
    • before 6.14not affected · semver
    • 6.14.7 and later · up to and including 6.14.*not affected · semver
    • 6.15 and laternot affected · original_commit_for_fix

Same product

linux: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2026-31431crypto: algif_aead - Revert to operating out-of-placeKEV
    90Now
  • CVE-2022-0847A flaw was found in the way the "flags" member of the new pipe buffer structure was lacking proper initialization in copy_page_to_iter_pipe…KEV
    89Now
  • CVE-2021-22555Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACEKEV
    85Now

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2025-37992May 26, 2025 · net_sched: Flush gso_skb list too during ->change()
    22Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2025-37993May 29, 2025 · can: m_can: m_can_class_allocate_dev(): initialize spin lock on device probe
    22Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2025-37999May 29, 2025 · fs/erofs/fileio: call erofs_onlinefolio_split() after bio_add_folio()
    22Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
Linux Linux157dbc4a321f5bb6f8b6c724d12ba720a90f1a7cVendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxa26d50f8a4a5049e956984797b5d0dedea4bbb18Vendor (CNA)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

No history yet (it accumulates with the daily EPSS job).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

  • CVE-2024-50302191 days apartHID: core: zero-initialize the report bufferKEV
    52Plan
  • CVE-2026-52989391 days apartnvmet-tcp: propagate nvmet_tcp_build_pdu_iovec() errors to its callers
    39Monitor
  • CVE-2024-47685220 days apartnetfilter: nf_reject_ipv6: fix nf_reject_ip6_tcphdr_put()
    36Monitor
  • CVE-2026-53225392 days apartsctp: fix uninit-value in __sctp_rcv_asconf_lookup()
    36Monitor
  • CVE-2026-53170392 days apartaccel/ethosu: reject DMA commands with uninitialized length
    35Monitor
  • CVE-2026-43139342 days apartxfrm6: fix uninitialized saddr in xfrm6_get_saddr()
    34Monitor

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
  • A low-privileged account is enough.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
none
Integrity
none
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
None
Integrity impact
None
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-908 · Use of Uninitialized Resource

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

nvd-primary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

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References

Show all references (1 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records