crypto: qat - flush misc workqueue during device shutdown
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 2 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-416 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: crypto: qat - flush misc workqueue during device shutdown Repeated loading and unloading of a device specific QAT driver, for example qat_4xxx, in a tight loop can lead to a crash due to a use-after-free scenario. This occurs when a power management (PM) interrupt triggers just before the device-specific driver (e.g., qat_4xxx.ko) is unloaded, while the core driver (intel_qat.ko) remains loaded. Since the driver uses a shared workqueue (`qat_misc_wq`) across all devices and owned by intel_qat.ko, a deferred routine from the device-specific driver may still be pending in the queue. If this routine executes after the driver is unloaded, it can dereference freed memory, resulting in a page fault and kernel crash like the following: BUG: unable to handle page fault for address: ffa000002e50a01c #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode RIP: 0010:pm_bh_handler+0x1d2/0x250 [intel_qat] Call Trace: pm_bh_handler+0x1d2/0x250 [intel_qat] process_one_work+0x171/0x340 worker_thread+0x277/0x3a0 kthread+0xf0/0x120 ret_from_fork+0x2d/0x50 To prevent this, flush the misc workqueue during device shutdown to ensure that all pending work items are completed before the driver is unloaded. Note: This approach may slightly increase shutdown latency if the workqueue contains jobs from other devices, but it ensures correctness and stability.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 5.18 and later | 6.1.162, 6.6.103, 6.12.44, 6.16.4, 6.17 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 5.18 and later Fixed in 6.1.162, 6.6.103, 6.12.44, 6.16.4, 6.17 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 1
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.18 to before 6.6.103; 6.7 to before 6.12.44; 6.13 to before 6.16.4 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.18 to before 6.6.103; 6.7 to before 6.12.44; 6.13 to before 6.16.4 Vulnerable ·Linux
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.1.162, 6.6.103, 6.12.44, 6.16.4, 6.17
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet |
Not affected: 3 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2025-39721
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-c9qp-46j7-6qfj
- 2026-11-05 CISA SSVC decision points changed
References
Patch 5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fa4c14a82747886d333d8baef0d26da86ba1ccf7
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5858448a6c65d8ee3f8600570d3ce19febcb33be
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fe546f5c50fc474daca6bee72caa7ab68a74c33d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e59a52e429e13df3feb34f4853a8e36d121ed937
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3d4df408ba9bad2b205c7fb8afc1836a6a4ca88a
More Linux Kernel vulnerabilities
- TI-2025-26358 tls: fix handling of zero-length records on the rx_list KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2026-38352 netfilter: bridge: make ebt_snat ARP rewrite writable KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2013-05264 The (1) get_user and (2) put_user API functions in the Linux kernel before 3.5.5 on the… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2022-00125 Integer overflow in kernel KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2013-01864 The perf_swevent_init function in kernel/events/core.c in the Linux kernel before 3.8.9… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2021-05514 Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACE KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.3
Sources
- CVE-2025-39721 · CVE Program
- CVE-2025-39721 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-c9qp-46j7-6qfj · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2025-39721 · 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