Cyber Resilience

CVE-2025-39889

Crypto Weakness in Linux Kernel 5.11 – 5.15.181

Published
24 September 2025
Modified
02 April 2026
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 8.1
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
EPSS Score 0.00090 0.5th percentile
Risk Priority 56 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2025-39889 is a high-severity Inadequate Encryption Strength (CWE-326) vulnerability in Linux Linux Kernel. Its CVSS base score is 8.1 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Brute Force (T1110); ranked at the 0.5th 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 SC-13 (Cryptographic Protection) and SC-12 (Cryptographic Key Establishment and Management) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: Bluetooth: l2cap: Check encryption key size on incoming connection This is required for passing GAP/SEC/SEM/BI-04-C PTS test case: Security Mode 4 Level 4, Responder - Invalid Encryption Key Size -…

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128 bit This tests the security key with size from 1 to 15 bytes while the Security Mode 4 Level 4 requests 16 bytes key size. Currently PTS fails with the following logs: - expected:Connection Response: Code: [3 (0x03)] Code Identifier: (lt)WildCard: Exists(gt) Length: [8 (0x0008)] Destination CID: (lt)WildCard: Exists(gt) Source CID: [64 (0x0040)] Result: [3 (0x0003)] Connection refused - Security block Status: (lt)WildCard: Exists(gt), but received:Connection Response: Code: [3 (0x03)] Code Identifier: [1 (0x01)] Length: [8 (0x0008)] Destination CID: [64 (0x0040)] Source CID: [64 (0x0040)] Result: [0 (0x0000)] Connection Successful Status: [0 (0x0000)] No further information available And HCI logs: < HCI Command: Read Encrypti.. (0x05|0x0008) plen 2 Handle: 14 Address: 00:1B:DC:F2:24:10 (Vencer Co., Ltd.) > HCI Event: Command Complete (0x0e) plen 7 Read Encryption Key Size (0x05|0x0008) ncmd 1 Status: Success (0x00) Handle: 14 Address: 00:1B:DC:F2:24:10 (Vencer Co., Ltd.) Key size: 7 > ACL Data RX: Handle 14 flags 0x02 dlen 12 L2CAP: Connection Request (0x02) ident 1 len 4 PSM: 4097 (0x1001) Source CID: 64 < ACL Data TX: Handle 14 flags 0x00 dlen 16 L2CAP: Connection Response (0x03) ident 1 len 8 Destination CID: 64 Source CID: 64 Result: Connection successful (0x0000) Status: No further information available (0x0000)

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1110 Brute Force Credential Access
Adversaries may use brute force techniques to gain access to accounts when passwords are unknown or when password hashes are obtained.
T1557 Adversary-in-the-Middle Credential Access
Adversaries may attempt to position themselves between two or more networked devices using an adversary-in-the-middle (AiTM) technique to support follow-on behaviors such as [Network Sniffing](https://attack.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

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Affected Assets

linux
linux kernel
6.15 · 5.11 — 5.15.181 · 5.16 — 6.1.135 · 6.2 — 6.6.88

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 14 hardening rules · 7 OS baselines
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V11.4.2
  • V14.1.2
  • V14.2.4

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

SC-13 requires selection and implementation of specific cryptographic algorithms and key lengths, directly preventing use of inadequate encryption strength.

SC-12 governs cryptographic key establishment and management, which can enforce sufficient key sizes and thereby reduce inadequate encryption strength.

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.DS-01 mostly match
prevents

Strong encryption is required to protect confidentiality of data-at-rest.

PR.DS-02 mostly match
prevents

Strong encryption is required to protect confidentiality of data-in-transit.

PR.PS-01 partial match
prevents

Hardened baselines can enforce minimum cryptographic algorithm and key-length settings.

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.

prevents

Requiring the organization to define and enforce minimum cryptographic strength prevents deployment of insufficient key lengths or weak ciphers that can be brute-forced.

Hardening callouts derived

Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).

Oracle Linux 9 (1 rule)
  • V-271756 OL 9 local disk partitions must implement cryptographic mechanisms to prevent unauthorized disclosure or modification of all information that requires at rest protection. prevents CWE-326
RHEL 8 (1 rule)
  • V-230224 All RHEL 8 local disk partitions must implement cryptographic mechanisms to prevent unauthorized disclosure or modification of all information that requires at rest protection. prevents CWE-326
RHEL 9 (1 rule)
  • V-257879 RHEL 9 local disk partitions must implement cryptographic mechanisms to prevent unauthorized disclosure or modification of all information that requires at rest protection. prevents CWE-326
Windows Server 2016 (1 rule)
  • V-224843 Systems requiring data at rest protections must employ cryptographic mechanisms to prevent unauthorized disclosure and modification of the information at rest. prevents CWE-326

References