CVE-2025-40169

  • Published: 2025-11-12T11:15:47.270

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

bpf: Reject negative offsets for ALU ops

When verifying BPF programs, the check_alu_op() function validates
instructions with ALU operations. The ‘offset’ field in these
instructions is a signed 16-bit integer.

The existing check ‘insn->off > 1’ was intended to ensure the offset is
either 0, or 1 for BPF_MOD/BPF_DIV. However, because ‘insn->off’ is
signed, this check incorrectly accepts all negative values (e.g., -1).

This commit tightens the validation by changing the condition to
‘(insn->off != 0 && insn->off != 1)’. This ensures that any value
other than the explicitly permitted 0 and 1 is rejected, hardening the
verifier against malformed BPF programs.

Related CVE by CWE

No related CWE found.

Top CVE for Vendor

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Recently Exploited Similar Vulnerabilities

No recent KEV-listed items for this vendor/product.

How to fix CVE-2025-40169

CVE-2025-40169 is a unknown severity vulnerability affecting the affected product.

Description: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf: Reject negative offsets for ALU ops When verifying BPF programs, the check_alu_op() function validates instructions with ALU operations. The ‘offset’ field in these instructions is a signed 16-bit integer. The existing check ‘insn->off > 1’ was intended to ensure the offset is either 0, […]

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.