nfsd: fix refcount leak in nfsd_set_fh_dentry()
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 2 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nfsd: fix refcount leak in nfsd_set_fh_dentry() nfsd exports a "pseudo root filesystem" which is used by NFSv4 to find the various exported filesystems using LOOKUP requests from a known root filehandle. NFSv3 uses the MOUNT protocol to find those exported filesystems and so is not given access to the pseudo root filesystem. If a v3 (or v2) client uses a filehandle from that filesystem, nfsd_set_fh_dentry() will report an error, but still stores the export in "struct svc_fh" even though it also drops the reference (exp_put()). This means that when fh_put() is called an extra reference will be dropped which can lead to use-after-free and possible denial of service. Normal NFS usage will not provide a pseudo-root filehandle to a v3 client. This bug can only be triggered by the client synthesising an incorrect filehandle. To fix this we move the assignments to the svc_fh later, after all possible error cases have been detected.
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 6.12.59, 6.17.9, 6.18
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-2025-40212
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-cjm8-jghh-jmq3
References
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Sources
- CVE-2025-40212 · CVE Program
- CVE-2025-40212 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-cjm8-jghh-jmq3 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2025-40212 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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