CVE-2025-40159
- Published: 2025-11-12T11:15:46.000
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
xsk: Harden userspace-supplied xdp_desc validation
Turned out certain clearly invalid values passed in xdp_desc from
userspace can pass xp_{,un}aligned_validate_desc() and then lead
to UBs or just invalid frames to be queued for xmit.
desc->len close to “U32_MAX“ with a non-zero pool->tx_metadata_len
can cause positive integer overflow and wraparound, the same way low
enough desc->addr with a non-zero pool->tx_metadata_len can cause
negative integer overflow. Both scenarios can then pass the
validation successfully.
This doesn’t happen with valid XSk applications, but can be used
to perform attacks.
Always promote desc->len to “u64“ first to exclude positive
overflows of it. Use explicit check_{add,sub}_overflow() when
validating desc->addr (which is “u64“ already).
bloat-o-meter reports a little growth of the code size:
add/remove: 0/0 grow/shrink: 2/1 up/down: 60/-16 (44)
Function old new delta
xskq_cons_peek_desc 299 330 +31
xsk_tx_peek_release_desc_batch 973 1002 +29
xsk_generic_xmit 3148 3132 -16
but hopefully this doesn’t hurt the performance much.
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How to fix CVE-2025-40159
Description: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xsk: Harden userspace-supplied xdp_desc validation Turned out certain clearly invalid values passed in xdp_desc from userspace can pass xp_{,un}aligned_validate_desc() and then lead to UBs or just invalid frames to be queued for xmit. desc->len close to “U32_MAX“ with a non-zero pool->tx_metadata_len can cause positive integer […]
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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