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🛡️ CVE-2025-40159 — kernel

🟠 CVSS 7.8 — High ✅ No Known Exploit NVD
7.8
CVSS Score
0 Low4 Medium7 High9 Critical10

Description

xsk: Harden userspace-supplied xdp_desc validation

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.

How this vulnerability can be exploited

This issue can be reached with local access to the system, attack complexity is low, an attacker needs low-level privileges on the target. No user interaction is required. The scope is unchanged, so the impact stays within the vulnerable component. Rated impact: confidentiality high, integrity high, availability high.

Affected software

CVE-2025-40159 is recorded against 2 packages.

  • kernel (from 6.13.0 up to 6.17.4)
  • unknown

Timeline and source

Published on 12 November 2025 and last revised on 12 August 2026. No public exploit is currently recorded for this entry. Record sourced from NVD.

References

git.kernel.org (Web)
git.kernel.org (Web)
git.kernel.org (Web)
github.com (Advisory)
nvd.nist.gov (Advisory)
git.kernel.org (Package)

CVE-2025-40159 on other distributions

Each distribution ships its own build and its own fixed version. Pick the one you run:

Details

Severity High
CVSS Score 7.8
CVSS Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CWE N/A
Public Exploit ✅ No
Source NVD
Published 2025-11-12
Updated 2026-08-20
Modified 2026-08-12
Fix URL N/A

Affected Packages

Software From version Fixed in
kernel 6.13.0 6.17.4
unknown

Similar Threats

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