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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2025-39835

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-09-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.10.242 / 5.15.191 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click Patch available

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xfs: do not propagate ENODATA disk errors into xattr code ENODATA (aka ENOATTR) has a very specific meaning in the xfs xattr code; namely, that the requested attribute name could not be found. However, a medium error from disk may also return ENODATA. At best, this medium error may escape to userspace as "attribute not found" when in fact it's an IO (disk) error. At worst, we may oops in xfs_attr_leaf_get() when we do: error = xfs_attr_leaf_hasname(args, &bp); if (error == -ENOATTR) { xfs_trans_brelse(args->trans, bp); return error; } because an ENODATA/ENOATTR error from disk leaves us with a null bp, and the xfs_trans_brelse will then null-deref it. As discussed on the list, we really need to modify the lower level IO functions to trap all disk errors and ensure that we don't let unique errors like this leak up into higher xfs functions - many like this should be remapped to EIO. However, this patch directly addresses a reported bug in the xattr code, and should be safe to backport to stable kernels. A larger-scope patch to handle more unique errors at lower levels can follow later. (Note, prior to 07120f1abdff we did not oops, but we did return the wrong error code to userspace.)

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis

A detailed technical summary for this CVE is being prepared.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:>= 5.9, < 5.10.242>= 5.11, < 5.15.191>= 5.16, < 6.1.150>= 6.2, < 6.6.104>= 6.7, < 6.12.45>= 6.13, < 6.16.5= 6.17
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 11.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 5.10.242 / 5.15.191 / 6.1.150 or later
Fixed in 5.10.2425.15.1916.1.150
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Linux Kernel 5.10.242+ (for 5.9-5.10.x), 5.15.191+ (for 5.11-5.15.x), 6.1.150+ (for 5.16-6.1.x), or 6.6.104+ (for 6.2-6.6.x)

  1. Identify the currently running kernel version using `uname -r`
  2. Check which version range your current kernel falls into (5.9-5.10.241, 5.11-5.15.190, 5.16-6.1.149, or 6.2-6.6.103)
  3. Obtain and install a kernel update from your Linux distribution's stable repositories that meets or exceeds the minimum fixed version for your branch: 5.10.242, 5.15.191, 6.1.150, or 6.6.104
  4. Reboot the system to load the patched kernel
  5. Verify the fix is applied by checking the kernel version matches or exceeds the fixed version for your branch
Caveat Kernel updates may require rebooting services; ensure application compatibility with newer kernel versions before deployment

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $1,950. Get the upgrade done

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-39835 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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