CVE-2025-40201
- Published: 2025-11-12T22:15:47.283
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
kernel/sys.c: fix the racy usage of task_lock(tsk->group_leader) in sys_prlimit64() paths
The usage of task_lock(tsk->group_leader) in sys_prlimit64()->do_prlimit()
path is very broken.
sys_prlimit64() does get_task_struct(tsk) but this only protects task_struct
itself. If tsk != current and tsk is not a leader, this process can exit/exec
and task_lock(tsk->group_leader) may use the already freed task_struct.
Another problem is that sys_prlimit64() can race with mt-exec which changes
->group_leader. In this case do_prlimit() may take the wrong lock, or (worse)
->group_leader may change between task_lock() and task_unlock().
Change sys_prlimit64() to take tasklist_lock when necessary. This is not
nice, but I don’t see a better fix for -stable.
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How to fix CVE-2025-40201
Description: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: kernel/sys.c: fix the racy usage of task_lock(tsk->group_leader) in sys_prlimit64() paths The usage of task_lock(tsk->group_leader) in sys_prlimit64()->do_prlimit() path is very broken. sys_prlimit64() does get_task_struct(tsk) but this only protects task_struct itself. If tsk != current and tsk is not a leader, this process can exit/exec and task_lock(tsk->group_leader) […]
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
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