VulnerabilityPublished 16 Dec 2025Updated 3 Aug 2026

CVE-2025-68299: Linux kernel · afs: Fix delayed allocation of a cell's anonymous key

Source GCVE Database

Not known to be exploited.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 10:12 UTC

Severity

Medium

Rated by Threat Radar · No CVSS score from NVD or the CNA

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 17% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 16 Dec 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

ghsa-wq3w-wxhr-h474

What to do

AI-suggested

A fix has been implemented in the Linux kernel to address this issue by changing the allocation timing and synchronization of the anonymous key in the AFS subsystem. Users should apply the official kernel updates that include this fix once available. Patch status is not explicitly confirmed in the provided data; therefore, check the vendor or Linux kernel advisory for current remediation guidance.

Description

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's AFS (Andrew File System) implementation related to the delayed allocation of a cell's anonymous key has been resolved. The issue arises because the anonymous key allocation occurs in a background thread and may not be set when referenced, potentially causing a kernel oops. The fix involves allocating a reference name at cell creation, allocating the anonymous key on demand with proper synchronization, and adjusting key request functions to handle unallocated keys safely.

Impact

This vulnerability can cause a kernel oops (crash) due to referencing an uninitialized anonymous key during key lookup in the AFS subsystem. While no exploits in the wild are known, the impact is a denial of service via kernel instability when mounting or accessing AFS cells under certain conditions.

Summary

The vulnerability in the Linux kernel's AFS subsystem involves the delayed allocation of a cell's anonymous key, which is performed in a background thread alongside other cell setup tasks. When afs_parse_source() parses the device name and calls afs_lookup_cell(), the normal key lookup may attempt to use the anonymous key's description before it is set, leading to a kernel oops. The fix includes pre-allocating a reference name attached to the cell record, on-demand allocation of the anonymous key with mutex protection to avoid multiple allocations, and modifying afs_request_key_rcu() to return NULL if the anonymous key is not yet allocated, allowing safe fallback behavior.

References

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