CVE-2025-38431
- Published: 2025-07-25T15:15:28.133
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
smb: client: fix regression with native SMB symlinks
Some users and customers reported that their backup/copy tools started
to fail when the directory being copied contained symlink targets that
the client couldn’t parse – even when those symlinks weren’t followed.
Fix this by allowing lstat(2) and readlink(2) to succeed even when the
client can’t resolve the symlink target, restoring old behavior.
Related CVE by CWE
No related CWE found.
Top CVE for Vendor
No vendor taxonomy on this entry.
Recently Exploited Similar Vulnerabilities
No recent KEV-listed items for this vendor/product.
How to fix CVE-2025-38431
CVE-2025-38431 is a unknown severity vulnerability affecting the affected product.
Description: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: smb: client: fix regression with native SMB symlinks Some users and customers reported that their backup/copy tools started to fail when the directory being copied contained symlink targets that the client couldn’t parse – even when those symlinks weren’t followed. Fix this by allowing lstat(2) […]
Exploit Difficulty: HARD
⏱️ Time to exploit: > 4 hours
🛠️ Required skills: Advanced security expertise
💰 Public exploits: Rare or not public
How to Fix:
- Check if you're running the affected product
- Update to the latest patched version
- If patching is not immediately possible: restrict network exposure, apply least-privilege access
- Test the fix in a staging environment first
- Review logs for signs of exploitation
- Monitor for IOCs (Indicators of Compromise)
- Enable automatic security updates
- Set up vulnerability monitoring
- Review and harden security configurations
Description: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: smb: client: fix regression with native SMB symlinks Some users and customers reported that their backup/copy tools started to fail when the directory being copied contained symlink targets that the client couldn’t parse – even when those symlinks weren’t followed. Fix this by allowing lstat(2) […]
Exploit Difficulty: HARD
⏱️ Time to exploit: > 4 hours
🛠️ Required skills: Advanced security expertise
💰 Public exploits: Rare or not public
How to Fix:
1 Identify affected systems
- Check if you're running the affected product
2 Immediate actions
- Update to the latest patched version
- If patching is not immediately possible: restrict network exposure, apply least-privilege access
3 Verification
- Test the fix in a staging environment first
- Review logs for signs of exploitation
- Monitor for IOCs (Indicators of Compromise)
4 Long-term prevention
- Enable automatic security updates
- Set up vulnerability monitoring
- Review and harden security configurations
Exploit Difficulty Assessment
HARD
Time to Exploit: > 4 hours
Skills Required: Advanced security expertise
Public Exploits: Rare or not public
Vulnerability Timeline
Jul 25, 2025
Vulnerability Published
CVE details first published to NVD database
Nov 12, 2025
Imported to Database
Added to this CVE tracking system
Detection Rules & IOCs
No specific detection rules generated for this vulnerability type.
No vendor/product data available.