fs/proc/task_mmu: check p->vec_buf for NULL
Key facts
- Attack vector
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- Privileges required
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- User interaction
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- Attack complexity
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- Impact type
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- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
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- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 2 without a fix
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fs/proc/task_mmu: check p->vec_buf for NULL When the PAGEMAP_SCAN ioctl is invoked with vec_len = 0 reaches pagemap_scan_backout_range(), kernel panics with null-ptr-deref: [ 44.936808] Oops: general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address 0xdffffc0000000000: 0000 [#1] SMP DEBUG_PAGEALLOC KASAN NOPTI [ 44.937797] KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000000-0x0000000000000007] [ 44.938391] CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 2480 Comm: reproducer Not tainted 6.17.0-rc6 #22 PREEMPT(none) [ 44.939062] Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS rel-1.16.3-0-ga6ed6b701f0a-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014 [ 44.939935] RIP: 0010:pagemap_scan_thp_entry.isra.0+0x741/0xa80 <snip registers, unreliable trace> [ 44.946828] Call Trace: [ 44.947030] <TASK> [ 44.949219] pagemap_scan_pmd_entry+0xec/0xfa0 [ 44.952593] walk_pmd_range.isra.0+0x302/0x910 [ 44.954069] walk_pud_range.isra.0+0x419/0x790 [ 44.954427] walk_p4d_range+0x41e/0x620 [ 44.954743] walk_pgd_range+0x31e/0x630 [ 44.955057] __walk_page_range+0x160/0x670 [ 44.956883] walk_page_range_mm+0x408/0x980 [ 44.958677] walk_page_range+0x66/0x90 [ 44.958984] do_pagemap_scan+0x28d/0x9c0 [ 44.961833] do_pagemap_cmd+0x59/0x80 [ 44.962484] __x64_sys_ioctl+0x18d/0x210 [ 44.962804] do_syscall_64+0x5b/0x290 [ 44.963111] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e vec_len = 0 in pagemap_scan_init_bounce_buffer() means no buffers are allocated and p->vec_buf remains set to NULL. This breaks an assumption made later in pagemap_scan_backout_range(), that page_region is always allocated for p->vec_buf_index. Fix it by explicitly checking p->vec_buf for NULL before dereferencing. Other sites that might run into same deref-issue are already (directly or transitively) protected by checking p->vec_buf. Note: From PAGEMAP_SCAN man page, it seems vec_len = 0 is valid when no output is requested and it's only the side effects caller is interested in, hence it passes check in pagemap_scan_get_args(). This issue was found by syzkaller.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.12.50, 6.16.10, 6.17
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
Not affected: 3 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2025-40009
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-cmvf-g3gj-cgc9
References
More Linux vulnerabilities
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- 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
Sources
- CVE-2025-40009 · CVE Program
- CVE-2025-40009 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-cmvf-g3gj-cgc9 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2025-40009 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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