# CVE-2025-37908: mm, slab: clean up slab->obj_exts always

> A memory management flaw in the Linux kernel can cause a bad page state and system crash when memory profiling is disabled.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 20 May 2025
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2025-37908, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-37908, GHSA-q55g-j56q-r6fq, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-37908

## What is CVE-2025-37908?

CVE-2025-37908 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 20 May 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

mm, slab: clean up slab->obj_exts always

When memory allocation profiling is disabled at runtime or due to an
error, shutdown_mem_profiling() is called: slab->obj_exts which
previously allocated remains.
It won't be cleared by unaccount_slab() because of
mem_alloc_profiling_enabled() not true. It's incorrect, slab->obj_exts
should always be cleaned up in unaccount_slab() to avoid following error:

[...]BUG: Bad page state in process...
..
[...]page dumped because: page still charged to cgroup

[andriy.shevchenko@linux.intel.com: fold need_slab_obj_ext() into its only user]

Weakness: CWE-459 (Incomplete Cleanup)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-37908?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-37908?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-37908 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-37908 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-37908 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-37908 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 20 May 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-37908 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-37908/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-37908/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-37908
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-37908
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-37908

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-37908/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.