# CVE-2025-38431: smb: client: fix regression with native SMB symlinks

Status: published. Published: 2025-07-25. Updated: 2026-11-05.

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.

## Remediation

No remediation reported in collected sources

## Affected products and versions

- Linux / Linux: ≥ 12b466eb52d926802b6898d2cb7e67386467f54a; < 6ddaf7567080c7de2e0c99efca2ee1e6b79beea5 (affected, git); ≥ 12b466eb52d926802b6898d2cb7e67386467f54a; < ff8abbd248c1f52df0c321690b88454b13ff54b2 (affected, git). Source: CNA: Linux
- Linux / Linux: 6.14 (affected); ≥ 0; < 6.14 (unaffected, semver); ≥ 6.15.5; ≤ 6.15.* (unaffected, semver); ≥ 6.16; ≤ * (unaffected, original_commit_for_fix). Source: CNA: Linux

## Severity and prioritization

- CISA KEV: No listing in collected sources

- EPSS: 0.16% as of 2026-11-05; percentile 5.14%

- SSVC: exploitation none; automatable no; technical impact partial; source ADP: CISA-ADP

- Weaknesses: Not reported

## Exploit evidence

No exploit evidence in collected sources. This is not proof of no exploitation.

## References

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6ddaf7567080c7de2e0c99efca2ee1e6b79beea5 (CNA: Linux)

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ff8abbd248c1f52df0c321690b88454b13ff54b2 (CNA: Linux)

## Provenance

- CNA: Linux: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-38431; retrieved 2026-11-05; source updated 2026-11-05

- FIRST EPSS: https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss?cve=CVE-2025-38431; retrieved 2026-11-05; source updated Not reported

Revision: a7d7135d635d9df6acde3e237bc604b46e64e6863d74563030ca825a6fb13e97

Canonical: https://y2.dev/cve/CVE-2025-38431

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