Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: afs: Fix the maximum cell...
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
afs: Fix the maximum cell name length
The kafs filesystem limits the maximum length of a cell to 256 bytes, but a
problem occurs if someone actually does that: kafs tries to create a
directory under /proc/net/afs/ with the name of the cell, but that fails
with a warning:
WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 9 at fs/proc/generic.c:405
because procfs limits the maximum filename length to 255.
However, the DNS limits the maximum lookup length and, by extension, the
maximum cell name, to 255 less two (length count and trailing NUL).
Fix this by limiting the maximum acceptable cellname length to 253. This
also allows us to be sure we can create the "/afs/./" mountpoint too.
Further, split the YFS VL record cell name maximum to be the 256 allowed by
the protocol and ignore the record retrieved by YFSVL.GetCellName if it
exceeds 253.
Impact
CVE-2025-21646 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (Medium). The vector is requires local access, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. No fixed version is listed yet, so configuration controls and monitoring matter more in the interim.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2025-21646? CVE-2025-21646 is a medium-severity security vulnerability. No fixed version is listed yet.
- How severe is CVE-2025-21646? CVE-2025-21646 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2025-21646? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2025-21646 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2025-21646 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-21646 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2025-21646 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.