In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: smb/server: avoid deadlock...

CVE-2025-38711 → View on GitHub ↗ View on CVE.org ↗ View on NVD ↗

Description

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.

Basic information

Type
unreviewed
Severity
medium
Advisory on GitHub
Open advisory ↗
Repository advisory
—
Source code
Not specified
Published (advisory)
2025-09-05 18:31:16 UTC
Updated
2026-05-12 15:31:02 UTC
NVD published
2025-09-04

EPSS Score

Score Percentile
0.01% 2.78%

CVSS Scores

Base score Version Severity Vector
5.5 3.1 —
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.

Identifiers

Type Value
GHSA GHSA-c3j4-c39c-w5r2 ↗
CVE CVE-2025-38711 ↗

CWEs

CWE id Name
CWE-667 Improper Locking

References

cvelogic Threat Intelligence