---
id: CVE-2025-37778
title: |-
  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
summary: |-
  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 reinitialis…
severity: critical
cvss: 9.8
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'
cwe:
  - CWE-416
vendor: linux
product: linux_kernel
affected:
  - 'linux_kernel >= 5.15, < 6.1.135'
  - 'linux_kernel >= 6.2, < 6.6.88'
  - 'linux_kernel >= 6.7, < 6.12.25'
  - 'linux_kernel >= 6.13, < 6.14.4'
  - linux_kernel = 6.15
  - debian_linux = 11.0
patched:
  - linux_kernel 6.14.4
published: '2025-05-01'
updated: '2026-10-15'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-15T22:18:17.730'
source: NVD
sourceUrl: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-37778'
references:
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1db2451de23e98bc864c6a6e52aa0d82c91cb325'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1e440d5b25b7efccb3defe542a73c51005799a5f'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6e30c0e10210c714f3d4453dc258d4abcc70364e'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b61f04d5d73c53d183019bafe22fb700a739bac5'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d5b554bc8d554ed6ddf443d3db2fad9f665cec10'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e83e39a5f6a01a81411a4558a59a10f87aa88dd6'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/05/msg00045.html'
    label: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
tags:
  - nvd
  - cve.org
epss: 0.01141
epssPercentile: 0.66487
ssvc:
  exploitation: none
  automatable: 'yes'
  technicalImpact: total
  timestamp: '2026-10-15T21:45:08.250417Z'
ingestedAt: '2026-10-15T22:48:25.478Z'
---

## Overview

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.

## Affected

- `linux_kernel >= 5.15, < 6.1.135`
- `linux_kernel >= 6.2, < 6.6.88`
- `linux_kernel >= 6.7, < 6.12.25`
- `linux_kernel >= 6.13, < 6.14.4`
- `linux_kernel = 6.15`
- `debian_linux = 11.0`

## Remediation

Upgrade past the affected range:

- `linux_kernel 6.14.4`