Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: SVM: Forcibly leave SMM...
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
KVM: SVM: Forcibly leave SMM mode on SHUTDOWN interception
Previously, commit ed129ec9057f ("KVM: x86: forcibly leave nested mode
on vCPU reset") addressed an issue where a triple fault occurring in
nested mode could lead to use-after-free scenarios. However, the commit
did not handle the analogous situation for System Management Mode (SMM).
This omission results in triggering a WARN when KVM forces a vCPU INIT
after SHUTDOWN interception while the vCPU is in SMM. This situation was
reprodused using Syzkaller by:
- Creating a KVM VM and vCPU
- Sending a KVM_SMI ioctl to explicitly enter SMM
- Executing invalid instructions causing consecutive exceptions and
eventually a triple fault
The issue manifests as follows:
WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 25506 at arch/x86/kvm/x86.c:12112
kvm_vcpu_reset+0x1d2/0x1530 arch/x86/kvm/x86.c:12112
Modules linked in:
CPU: 0 PID: 25506 Comm: syz-executor.0 Not tainted
6.1.130-syzkaller-00157-g164fe5dde9b6 #0
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996),
BIOS 1.12.0-1 04/01/2014
RIP: 0010:kvm_vcpu_reset+0x1d2/0x1530 arch/x86/kvm/x86.c:12112
Call Trace:
shutdown_interception+0x66/0xb0 arch/x86/kvm/svm/svm.c:2136
svm_invoke_exit_handler+0x110/0x530 arch/x86/kvm/svm/svm.c:3395
svm_handle_exit+0x424/0x920 arch/x86/kvm/svm/svm.c:3457
vcpu_enter_guest arch/x86/kvm/x86.c:10959 [inline]
vcpu_run+0x2c43/0x5a90 arch/x86/kvm/x86.c:11062
kvm_arch_vcpu_ioctl_run+0x50f/0x1cf0 arch/x86/kvm/x86.c:11283
kvm_vcpu_ioctl+0x570/0xf00 arch/x86/kvm/../../../virt/kvm/kvm_main.c:4122
vfs_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:51 [inline]
__do_sys_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:870 [inline]
__se_sys_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:856 [inline]
__x64_sys_ioctl+0x19a/0x210 fs/ioctl.c:856
do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:51 [inline]
do_syscall_64+0x35/0x80 arch/x86/entry/common.c:81
entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x6e/0xd8
Architecturally, INIT is blocked when the CPU is in SMM, hence KVM's WARN()
in kvm_vcpu_reset() to guard against KVM bugs, e.g. to detect improper
emulation of INIT. SHUTDOWN on SVM is a weird edge case where KVM needs to
do something sane with the VMCB, since it's technically undefined, and
INIT is the least awful choice given KVM's ABI.
So, double down on stuffing INIT on SHUTDOWN, and force the vCPU out of
SMM to avoid any weirdness (and the WARN).
Found by Linux Verification Center (linuxtesting.org) with Syzkaller.
[sean: massage changelog, make it clear this isn't architectural behavior]
Impact
Memory is accessed after it has been freed, leading to undefined behavior in native code. Typical impact: memory corruption, crash, or potential code execution.
CVE-2025-37957 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (High). 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-2025-37957? CVE-2025-37957 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability. No fixed version is listed yet. Memory is accessed after it has been freed, leading to undefined behavior in native code.
- How severe is CVE-2025-37957? CVE-2025-37957 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (High). 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-2025-37957? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2025-37957 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2025-37957 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-37957 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-2025-37957 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.