CVE-2025-40009
- Published: 2025-10-20T16:15:37.593
- Last modified: 1761075085
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
[ 44.946828] Call Trace:
[ 44.947030]
[ 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.
Related CVE by CWE
No related CWE found.
Top CVE for Vendor
No vendor taxonomy on this entry.
Recently Exploited Similar Vulnerabilities
No recent KEV-listed items for this vendor/product.
How to fix CVE-2025-40009
Description: 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] […]
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
Vulnerability Timeline
CVE details first published to NVD database
CVE details were updated
Added to this CVE tracking system
Detection Rules & IOCs
No specific detection rules generated for this vulnerability type.
No vendor/product data available.