CVE-2025-40119

  • Published: 2025-11-12T11:15:41.237

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

ext4: fix potential null deref in ext4_mb_init()

In ext4_mb_init(), ext4_mb_avg_fragment_size_destroy() may be called
when sbi->s_mb_avg_fragment_size remains uninitialized (e.g., if groupinfo
slab cache allocation fails). Since ext4_mb_avg_fragment_size_destroy()
lacks null pointer checking, this leads to a null pointer dereference.

==================================================================
EXT4-fs: no memory for groupinfo slab cache
BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000
PGD 0 P4D 0
Oops: Oops: 0002 [#1] SMP PTI
CPU:2 UID: 0 PID: 87 Comm:mount Not tainted 6.17.0-rc2 #1134 PREEMPT(none)
RIP: 0010:_raw_spin_lock_irqsave+0x1b/0x40
Call Trace:

xa_destroy+0x61/0x130
ext4_mb_init+0x483/0x540
__ext4_fill_super+0x116d/0x17b0
ext4_fill_super+0xd3/0x280
get_tree_bdev_flags+0x132/0x1d0
vfs_get_tree+0x29/0xd0
do_new_mount+0x197/0x300
__x64_sys_mount+0x116/0x150
do_syscall_64+0x50/0x1c0
entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e
==================================================================

Therefore, add necessary null check to ext4_mb_avg_fragment_size_destroy()
to prevent this issue. The same fix is also applied to
ext4_mb_largest_free_orders_destroy().

Related CVE by CWE

No related CWE found.

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How to fix CVE-2025-40119

CVE-2025-40119 is a unknown severity vulnerability affecting the affected product.

Description: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: fix potential null deref in ext4_mb_init() In ext4_mb_init(), ext4_mb_avg_fragment_size_destroy() may be called when sbi->s_mb_avg_fragment_size remains uninitialized (e.g., if groupinfo slab cache allocation fails). Since ext4_mb_avg_fragment_size_destroy() lacks null pointer checking, this leads to a null pointer dereference. ================================================================== EXT4-fs: no memory for groupinfo slab cache […]

Exploit Difficulty: HARD
⏱️ Time to exploit: > 4 hours
🛠️ Required skills: Advanced security expertise
💰 Public exploits: Rare or not public

How to Fix:

1 Identify affected systems

- Check if you're running the affected product

2 Immediate actions

- Update to the latest patched version
- If patching is not immediately possible: restrict network exposure, apply least-privilege access

3 Verification

- Test the fix in a staging environment first
- Review logs for signs of exploitation
- Monitor for IOCs (Indicators of Compromise)

4 Long-term prevention

- Enable automatic security updates
- Set up vulnerability monitoring
- Review and harden security configurations

Exploit Difficulty Assessment

HARD
⏱️ Time to Exploit: > 4 hours
🛠️ Skills Required: Advanced security expertise
💰 Public Exploits: Rare or not public

Vulnerability Timeline

Nov 12, 2025
Vulnerability Published

CVE details first published to NVD database

Nov 12, 2025
Imported to Database

Added to this CVE tracking system

Detection Rules & IOCs

No specific detection rules generated for this vulnerability type.

No vendor/product data available.