A race condition between hugetlb sysctl handlers in mm/hugetlb.c in the Linux kernel…
Priority LOW 28CWE-362Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- High
- Impact type
- Denial of service, Code execution
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 4 fixed, 4 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-476, CWE-787 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
A race condition between hugetlb sysctl handlers in mm/hugetlb.c in the Linux kernel before 5.8.8 could be used by local attackers to corrupt memory, cause a NULL pointer dereference, or possibly have unspecified other impact, aka CID-17743798d812.
Why it matters now
EPSS 0.00272 19th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix Partial Red Hat: 2 advisoriesRed Hat: 4 fixed, 4 without a fix
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | all versions | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- — Vendor— Affected all versions Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 6
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | before 5.8.8 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 9.0 | Vulnerable | Debian |
| cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:14.04:*:*:*:esm:*:*:* | 14.04 | Vulnerable | Canonical |
| cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:*:*:*:esm:*:*:* | 16.04 | Vulnerable | Canonical |
| cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* | 18.04 | Vulnerable | Canonical |
| cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:20.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* | 20.04 | Vulnerable | Canonical |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions before 5.8.8 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 9.0 Vulnerable ·Debian
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:14.04:*:*:*:esm:*:*:* Versions 14.04 Vulnerable ·Canonical
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:*:*:*:esm:*:*:* Versions 16.04 Vulnerable ·Canonical
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* Versions 18.04 Vulnerable ·Canonical
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:20.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* Versions 20.04 Vulnerable ·Canonical
Remediation
Red Hat 2 advisories
- RHSA-2021:1739 Released 2021-05-18 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel-rt security and bug fix update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time (v. 8) kernel-rt-4.18.0-305.rt7.72.el8, kernel-rt-core-4.18.0-305.rt7.72.el8, kernel-rt-debug-4.18.0-305.rt7.72.el8 +7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV (v. 8) kernel-rt-4.18.0-305.rt7.72.el8, kernel-rt-core-4.18.0-305.rt7.72.el8, kernel-rt-debug-4.18.0-305.rt7.72.el8 +9
- RHSA-2021:1578 Released 2021-05-18 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel security, bug fix, and enhancement update
- Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 8) kernel-tools-libs-devel-4.18.0-305.el8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 8) bpftool-4.18.0-305.el8, kernel-4.18.0-305.el8, kernel-abi-stablelists-4.18.0-305.el8 +19
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise MRG 2 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2021:1578 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2021:1578 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2021:1739 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2021:1739 |
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2020-25285
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-3rfj-rp8x-285j
References
Advisory 8
- https://twitter.com/grsecurity/status/1303749848898904067
- https://cdn.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v5.x/ChangeLog-5.8.8
- [debian-lts-announce] 20200928 [SECURITY] [DLA 2385-1] linux-4.19 security update
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20201009-0002/
- USN-4576-1
- USN-4579-1
- [debian-lts-announce] 20201030 [SECURITY] [DLA 2420-1] linux security update
- [debian-lts-announce] 20201031 [SECURITY] [DLA 2420-2] linux regression update
Sources
- CVE-2020-25285 · CVE Program
- CVE-2020-25285 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-3rfj-rp8x-285j · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2020-25285 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences