Cyber Resilience

CVE-2025-37885

Memory Safety in Linux Kernel 4.4 – 5.10.237

Published
09 May 2025
Modified
17 June 2026
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 7.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.0026 18th percentile
Risk Priority 55 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2025-37885 is a high-severity Use After Free (CWE-416) vulnerability in Linux Linux Kernel. Its CVSS base score is 7.8 (High).

Operationally, ranked at the 18th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SI-2 (Flaw Remediation) and SI-16 (Memory Protection) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: x86: Reset IRTE to host control if *new* route isn't postable Restore an IRTE back to host control (remapped or posted MSI mode) if the *new* GSI route prevents…

more

posting the IRQ directly to a vCPU, regardless of the GSI routing type. Updating the IRTE if and only if the new GSI is an MSI results in KVM leaving an IRTE posting to a vCPU. The dangling IRTE can result in interrupts being incorrectly delivered to the guest, and in the worst case scenario can result in use-after-free, e.g. if the VM is torn down, but the underlying host IRQ isn't freed.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2025-38578Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2024-26689Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2024-35867Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2025-39826Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2025-39689Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2024-42314Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2025-39877Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2024-26598Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2023-52572Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2025-38476Same product: Debian Debian Linux

Affected Assets

linux
linux kernel
6.15 · 4.4 — 5.10.237 · 5.11 — 5.15.181 · 5.16 — 6.1.136
debian
debian linux
11.0

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)
Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)
  • SI-4 System Monitoring
Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 3 hardening rules · 3 OS baselines
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V1.4.3

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

prevent

Applying the KVM x86 patch that resets IRTE state for non-postable routes directly eliminates the dangling-IRTE condition described in the CVE.

prevent

Memory-protection mechanisms can block or contain the use-after-free that occurs when a torn-down VM leaves an IRTE still posting to freed guest structures.

detect

Continuous monitoring of interrupt delivery and IRTE mappings can identify anomalous guest IRQ deliveries caused by an incorrectly retained posted-IRTE.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices directly incorporate memory-safety tooling and reviews that prevent most use-after-free defects.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Vulnerability identification processes can discover use-after-free issues via scanning or analysis but do not prevent their introduction.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Routine patching removes known use-after-free instances after they have been introduced in released software.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

detects

Security testing in development can detect use-after-free bugs before release.

prevents

Secure SDLC mandates memory-safety practices that reduce use-after-free defects.

prevents

Application security requirements can specify memory-management rules that mitigate use-after-free.

prevents

Secure architecture principles include memory-safety design choices that limit use-after-free exposure.

prevents

Secure coding standards directly prescribe avoidance of use-after-free patterns.

prevents

Change-management processes help ensure memory-safety fixes are deployed consistently.

References