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Azure Linux 3.0 Security Update: kernel (CVE-2025-37936)

🗓️ 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00Reported by TenableType 
nessus
 nessus
🔗 www.tenable.com👁 6 Views

Azure Linux 3.0 kernel fix masks PEBS_ENABLE for virtual machine guests to prevent crashes.

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Code
#%NASL_MIN_LEVEL 80900
##
# (C) Tenable, Inc.
##

include('compat.inc');

if (description)
{
  script_id(295485);
  script_version("1.1");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_modification_date", value:"2026/01/22");

  script_cve_id("CVE-2025-37936");

  script_name(english:"Azure Linux 3.0 Security Update: kernel (CVE-2025-37936)");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"synopsis", value:
"The remote Azure Linux host is missing one or more security updates.");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"description", value:
"The version of kernel installed on the remote Azure Linux 3.0 host is prior to tested version. It is, therefore,
affected by a vulnerability as referenced in the CVE-2025-37936 advisory.

  - In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: perf/x86/intel: KVM: Mask PEBS_ENABLE
    loaded for guest with vCPU's value. When generating the MSR_IA32_PEBS_ENABLE value that will be loaded on
    VM-Entry to a KVM guest, mask the value with the vCPU's desired PEBS_ENABLE value. Consulting only the
    host kernel's host vs. guest masks results in running the guest with PEBS enabled even when the guest
    doesn't want to use PEBS. Because KVM uses perf events to proxy the guest virtual PMU, simply looking at
    exclude_host can't differentiate between events created by host userspace, and events created by KVM on
    behalf of the guest. Running the guest with PEBS unexpectedly enabled typically manifests as crashes due
    to a near-infinite stream of #PFs. E.g. if the guest hasn't written MSR_IA32_DS_AREA, the CPU will hit
    page faults on address '0' when trying to record PEBS events. The issue is most easily reproduced by
    running `perf kvm top` from before commit 7b100989b4f6 (perf evlist: Remove __evlist__add_default)
    (after which, `perf kvm top` effectively stopped using PEBS). The userspace side of perf creates a guest-
    only PEBS event, which intel_guest_get_msrs() misconstrues a guest-*owned* PEBS event. Arguably, this is a
    userspace bug, as enabling PEBS on guest-only events simply cannot work, and userspace can kill VMs in
    many other ways (there is no danger to the host). However, even if this is considered to be bad userspace
    behavior, there's zero downside to perf/KVM restricting PEBS to guest-owned events. Note, commit
    854250329c02 (KVM: x86/pmu: Disable guest PEBS temporarily in two rare situations) fixed the case where
    host userspace is profiling KVM *and* userspace, but missed the case where userspace is profiling only
    KVM. (CVE-2025-37936)

Note that Nessus has not tested for this issue but has instead relied only on the application's self-reported version
number.");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"see_also", value:"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-37936");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"solution", value:
"Update the affected packages.");
  script_set_cvss_base_vector("CVSS2#AV:L/AC:L/Au:S/C:N/I:N/A:C");
  script_set_cvss_temporal_vector("CVSS2#E:U/RL:OF/RC:C");
  script_set_cvss3_base_vector("CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H");
  script_set_cvss3_temporal_vector("CVSS:3.0/E:U/RL:O/RC:C");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cvss_score_source", value:"CVE-2025-37936");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"exploitability_ease", value:"No known exploits are available");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"exploit_available", value:"false");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"vuln_publication_date", value:"2025/05/13");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"patch_publication_date", value:"2025/07/08");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_publication_date", value:"2026/01/22");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_type", value:"local");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"p-cpe:/a:microsoft:azure_linux:bpftool");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"p-cpe:/a:microsoft:azure_linux:kernel");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"p-cpe:/a:microsoft:azure_linux:kernel-debuginfo");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"p-cpe:/a:microsoft:azure_linux:kernel-devel");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"p-cpe:/a:microsoft:azure_linux:kernel-docs");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"p-cpe:/a:microsoft:azure_linux:kernel-drivers-accessibility");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"p-cpe:/a:microsoft:azure_linux:kernel-drivers-gpu");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"p-cpe:/a:microsoft:azure_linux:kernel-drivers-intree-amdgpu");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"p-cpe:/a:microsoft:azure_linux:kernel-drivers-sound");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"p-cpe:/a:microsoft:azure_linux:kernel-tools");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"p-cpe:/a:microsoft:azure_linux:python3-perf");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"x-cpe:/o:microsoft:azure_linux");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"generated_plugin", value:"current");
  script_end_attributes();

  script_category(ACT_GATHER_INFO);
  script_family(english:"Azure Linux Local Security Checks");

  script_copyright(english:"This script is Copyright (C) 2026 and is owned by Tenable, Inc. or an Affiliate thereof.");

  script_dependencies("ssh_get_info2.nasl");
  script_require_keys("Host/local_checks_enabled", "Host/AzureLinux/release", "Host/AzureLinux/rpm-list", "Host/cpu");

  exit(0);
}
include('rpm.inc');

if (!get_kb_item('Host/local_checks_enabled')) audit(AUDIT_LOCAL_CHECKS_NOT_ENABLED);
var release = get_kb_item('Host/AzureLinux/release');
if (isnull(release) || 'Azure Linux' >!< release) audit(AUDIT_OS_NOT, 'Azure Linux');
var os_ver = pregmatch(pattern: "Azure Linux ([0-9]+(\.[0-9]+)?)", string:release);
if (isnull(os_ver)) audit(AUDIT_UNKNOWN_APP_VER, 'Azure Linux');
os_ver = os_ver[1];
if (! preg(pattern:"^3([^0-9]|$)", string:os_ver)) audit(AUDIT_OS_NOT, 'Azure Linux 3.0', 'Azure Linux ' + os_ver);

if (!get_kb_item('Host/AzureLinux/rpm-list')) audit(AUDIT_PACKAGE_LIST_MISSING);

var cpu = get_kb_item('Host/cpu');
if (isnull(cpu)) audit(AUDIT_UNKNOWN_ARCH);
if ('x86_64' >!< cpu && cpu !~ "^i[3-6]86$" && 'aarch64' >!< cpu)
  audit(AUDIT_LOCAL_CHECKS_NOT_IMPLEMENTED, 'Azure Linux', cpu);

var pkgs = [
    {'reference':'bpftool-6.6.92.2-1.azl3', 'cpu':'aarch64', 'release':'3.0', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'bpftool-6.6.92.2-1.azl3', 'cpu':'x86_64', 'release':'3.0', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'kernel-6.6.92.2-1.azl3', 'cpu':'aarch64', 'release':'3.0', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'kernel-6.6.92.2-1.azl3', 'cpu':'x86_64', 'release':'3.0', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'kernel-debuginfo-6.6.92.2-1.azl3', 'cpu':'aarch64', 'release':'3.0', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'kernel-debuginfo-6.6.92.2-1.azl3', 'cpu':'x86_64', 'release':'3.0', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'kernel-devel-6.6.92.2-1.azl3', 'cpu':'aarch64', 'release':'3.0', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'kernel-devel-6.6.92.2-1.azl3', 'cpu':'x86_64', 'release':'3.0', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'kernel-docs-6.6.92.2-1.azl3', 'cpu':'aarch64', 'release':'3.0', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'kernel-docs-6.6.92.2-1.azl3', 'cpu':'x86_64', 'release':'3.0', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'kernel-drivers-accessibility-6.6.92.2-1.azl3', 'cpu':'aarch64', 'release':'3.0', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'kernel-drivers-accessibility-6.6.92.2-1.azl3', 'cpu':'x86_64', 'release':'3.0', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'kernel-drivers-gpu-6.6.92.2-1.azl3', 'cpu':'aarch64', 'release':'3.0', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'kernel-drivers-gpu-6.6.92.2-1.azl3', 'cpu':'x86_64', 'release':'3.0', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'kernel-drivers-intree-amdgpu-6.6.92.2-1.azl3', 'cpu':'aarch64', 'release':'3.0', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'kernel-drivers-intree-amdgpu-6.6.92.2-1.azl3', 'cpu':'x86_64', 'release':'3.0', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'kernel-drivers-sound-6.6.92.2-1.azl3', 'cpu':'aarch64', 'release':'3.0', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'kernel-drivers-sound-6.6.92.2-1.azl3', 'cpu':'x86_64', 'release':'3.0', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'kernel-tools-6.6.92.2-1.azl3', 'cpu':'aarch64', 'release':'3.0', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'kernel-tools-6.6.92.2-1.azl3', 'cpu':'x86_64', 'release':'3.0', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'python3-perf-6.6.92.2-1.azl3', 'cpu':'aarch64', 'release':'3.0', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'python3-perf-6.6.92.2-1.azl3', 'cpu':'x86_64', 'release':'3.0', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE}
];

var flag = 0;
foreach var package_array ( pkgs ) {
  var reference = NULL;
  var _release = NULL;
  var sp = NULL;
  var _cpu = NULL;
  var el_string = NULL;
  var rpm_spec_vers_cmp = NULL;
  var epoch = NULL;
  var allowmaj = NULL;
  var exists_check = NULL;
  var cves = NULL;
  if (!empty_or_null(package_array['reference'])) reference = package_array['reference'];
  if (!empty_or_null(package_array['release'])) _release = 'Azure Linux ' + package_array['release'];
  if (!empty_or_null(package_array['sp'])) sp = package_array['sp'];
  if (!empty_or_null(package_array['cpu'])) _cpu = package_array['cpu'];
  if (!empty_or_null(package_array['el_string'])) el_string = package_array['el_string'];
  if (!empty_or_null(package_array['rpm_spec_vers_cmp'])) rpm_spec_vers_cmp = package_array['rpm_spec_vers_cmp'];
  if (!empty_or_null(package_array['epoch'])) epoch = package_array['epoch'];
  if (!empty_or_null(package_array['allowmaj'])) allowmaj = package_array['allowmaj'];
  if (!empty_or_null(package_array['exists_check'])) exists_check = package_array['exists_check'];
  if (!empty_or_null(package_array['cves'])) cves = package_array['cves'];
  if (reference && _release && (!exists_check || rpm_exists(release:_release, rpm:exists_check))) {
    if (rpm_check(release:_release, sp:sp, cpu:_cpu, reference:reference, epoch:epoch, el_string:el_string, rpm_spec_vers_cmp:rpm_spec_vers_cmp, allowmaj:allowmaj, cves:cves)) flag++;
  }
}

if (flag)
{
  security_report_v4(
      port       : 0,
      severity   : SECURITY_WARNING,
      extra      : rpm_report_get()
  );
  exit(0);
}
else
{
  var tested = pkg_tests_get();
  if (tested) audit(AUDIT_PACKAGE_NOT_AFFECTED, tested);
  else audit(AUDIT_PACKAGE_NOT_INSTALLED, 'bpftool / kernel / kernel-debuginfo / kernel-devel / kernel-docs / etc');
}

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22 Jan 2026 00:00Current
5.3Medium risk
Vulners AI Score5.3
CVSS 3.15.5
EPSS0.0016
6