CVE-2025-39749
- Published: 2025-09-11T17:15:38.430
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
rcu: Protect ->defer_qs_iw_pending from data race
On kernels built with CONFIG_IRQ_WORK=y, when rcu_read_unlock() is
invoked within an interrupts-disabled region of code [1], it will invoke
rcu_read_unlock_special(), which uses an irq-work handler to force the
system to notice when the RCU read-side critical section actually ends.
That end won’t happen until interrupts are enabled at the soonest.
In some kernels, such as those booted with rcutree.use_softirq=y, the
irq-work handler is used unconditionally.
The per-CPU rcu_data structure’s ->defer_qs_iw_pending field is
updated by the irq-work handler and is both read and updated by
rcu_read_unlock_special(). This resulted in the following KCSAN splat:
————————————————————————
BUG: KCSAN: data-race in rcu_preempt_deferred_qs_handler / rcu_read_unlock_special
read to 0xffff96b95f42d8d8 of 1 bytes by task 90 on cpu 8:
rcu_read_unlock_special+0x175/0x260
__rcu_read_unlock+0x92/0xa0
rt_spin_unlock+0x9b/0xc0
__local_bh_enable+0x10d/0x170
__local_bh_enable_ip+0xfb/0x150
rcu_do_batch+0x595/0xc40
rcu_cpu_kthread+0x4e9/0x830
smpboot_thread_fn+0x24d/0x3b0
kthread+0x3bd/0x410
ret_from_fork+0x35/0x40
ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30
write to 0xffff96b95f42d8d8 of 1 bytes by task 88 on cpu 8:
rcu_preempt_deferred_qs_handler+0x1e/0x30
irq_work_single+0xaf/0x160
run_irq_workd+0x91/0xc0
smpboot_thread_fn+0x24d/0x3b0
kthread+0x3bd/0x410
ret_from_fork+0x35/0x40
ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30
no locks held by irq_work/8/88.
irq event stamp: 200272
hardirqs last enabled at (200272): [] finish_task_switch+0x131/0x320
hardirqs last disabled at (200271): [] __schedule+0x129/0xd70
softirqs last enabled at (0): [] copy_process+0x4df/0x1cc0
softirqs last disabled at (0): [] 0x0
————————————————————————
The problem is that irq-work handlers run with interrupts enabled, which
means that rcu_preempt_deferred_qs_handler() could be interrupted,
and that interrupt handler might contain an RCU read-side critical
section, which might invoke rcu_read_unlock_special(). In the strict
KCSAN mode of operation used by RCU, this constitutes a data race on
the ->defer_qs_iw_pending field.
This commit therefore disables interrupts across the portion of the
rcu_preempt_deferred_qs_handler() that updates the ->defer_qs_iw_pending
field. This suffices because this handler is not a fast path.
Related CVE by CWE
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How to fix CVE-2025-39749
Description: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: rcu: Protect ->defer_qs_iw_pending from data race On kernels built with CONFIG_IRQ_WORK=y, when rcu_read_unlock() is invoked within an interrupts-disabled region of code [1], it will invoke rcu_read_unlock_special(), which uses an irq-work handler to force the system to notice when the RCU read-side critical section actually ends. […]
Exploit Difficulty: HARD
⏱️ Time to exploit: > 4 hours
🛠️ Required skills: Advanced security expertise
💰 Public exploits: Rare or not public
How to Fix:
- Check if you're running the affected product
- Update to the latest patched version
- If patching is not immediately possible: restrict network exposure, apply least-privilege access
- Test the fix in a staging environment first
- Review logs for signs of exploitation
- Monitor for IOCs (Indicators of Compromise)
- Enable automatic security updates
- Set up vulnerability monitoring
- Review and harden security configurations
Exploit Difficulty Assessment
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